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ADAM AND EVE DRIVEN FROM EDEN 




THE 


History of the Bible 

By 

HARRY LORENZO CHAPIN, M. D. 



THE SHAKESPEARE PRESS 
114-116 East 2Sth Street 
New York 
1912 


Copyright, 1913, by 
Anna M. Fries Chapin 



©CI.A3326 0 1 

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AUTHOR’S PREFACE 


My object in writing the History of the Bible is 
principally to condense its meaning into as few words 
as I consider consistent with the original narrative. 

I have experienced by social contact with young 
men and women, that many of them have never read a 
single book of the Old or New Testament, because they 
were compelled to read so much to gain so little. My 
conclusion was that a laconic story of the Scriptures 
that would embody the historical as well as the in- 
spirational, the spiritual as well as the temporal, iuto 
a volume exempt of the superfluity of words already in- 
scribed. They would read it with more understanding 
and with greater assiduity, thus making them more 
familiar with the Word of God, and also causing them 
to have greater love and honor for the divinity of the 
ever reigning Deity I do not pretend that this volume 
is a detailed account of the Bible, or a complete history, 
but have elicited from its pages the substance and sen- 
timent of characters and events both corporeal and 
seraphic on earth and in Heaven. 

HARRY LORENZO CHAPIN, M. D. 


MRS. ANNA M. FRIES CHAPIN, Collaborator. 
























































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ILLUSTRATIONS 


Adam and Eve Driven From Eden. 
The Confusion of Tongues. 

The Deluge. 

Isaac Blessing Jacob 
Rebecca at the Well. 

Moses in the Bullrushes. 

Moses and Aaron Before Pharoah. 
David Slays Goliath. 

The Judgment of Solomon. 

Ruth Gleaning. 

Daniel Interpreting. 

Ecce Homo. 

The Nativity. 

The Flight Into Egypt. 

Jesus and the Woman of Samaria. 
Casting Out the Money Changers. 
Christ in the Garden of Cethsemane. 
Christ Bearing the Cross. 

The Crucifixion. 

Maiter Delorosa. 








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CONTENTS 


Chapter. Page. 

I 9 

II 57 

HI 63 

IV Jephthah 70 

V Samson 72 

VI Ruth 75 

VII The Birth of the Prophet Samuel 78 

VIII Jerusalem 87 

IX Solomon 93 

X Rehoboam, King of Judah 102 

XI Jehu Anointed King of Isreal 122 

XII Job, the Man of Fortitude 124 

XIII Queen Esther 128 

XIV Jonah 138 

XV Israel and Judea, from Ezechias to the Captivity. .141 

XVI Daniel in Babylon < 145 

XVII Belshazzar's Feast 149 

XVIII Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego in the Fiery 

Furnace 153 

XIX Judith 155 

XX Zorobabel’s Return to Jerusalem from Captivity. .157 

XXI The Prophets from the Captivity until Christ 159 

XXII Incidents after the Captivity of Judah 161 

XXIII The New Testament 166 

XXIV John the Baptist 169 

XXV Christ choosing his first Disciples 182 

XXVI John the Baptist’s Death 196 

XXVII Christ’s Triumphal Entry Into Jerusalem 201 

XXVIII The Last Judgment 204 

XXIX The Passion and Death of Our Saviour 205 

XXX Taken from the Cross 215 

XXXI The Resurrection 217 

XXXII The Ascension 221 

XXXIII The Apostles After the Resurrection 223 

XXXIV Paul’s Second Journey 227 

XXXV The Apocalypse 232 
























































































































THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


9 


The History of the Bible 

CHAPTER I. 


“In the beginning God created the heaven and the 
earth. ” (Gen., Chap. 1.) 

We cannot conceive how long a period of time 
it might have been between the first and second verses 
of the first book of the Bible. (Gen. Chap. 1, 1-2.) 

It must have been centuries and centuries after 
the earth was cast into oblivion or infinitude in its 
molten, primeval state. It must, by all reasoning 
imagination have existed a millennium in this condi- 
tion after the poisonous gases had left the molten 
mass, and the fast centrifugal movement of the molten 
matter passing through space gave to it its rounded 
form. The superficial stratum cooled, and the water 
receded and sought its own level into the deeper in- 
dentations of the earth, which are now the seven seas. 
“And the earth was without form and void.” (Gen. 
1 , 2 .) 

This would naturally be the condition at this time, 
until the earth had revolved through space and cooled, 
and the water receded to the seven seas. After the 
earth had been cooling for many thousands of years, 
and its waters receded, leaving terra firma exposed 
to the air and the sun's rays, we have the five conti- 
nents and the many islands. 


10 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


(Gen. 1, 9.) “And God said let the waters under 
the heavens be gathered together unto one place, and let 
the dry land appear and it was so.” 

Now that the land has cooled sufficiently, vegeta- 
tion will naturally or spontaneously germinate and 
grow. After this animal life will spring forth in its 
lowest type. Now God has prepared a home; He must 
next make a living being to inhabit that home. So he 
made man in his own likeness, and gave him dominion 
over all the beasts of the field, fowls of the air and fish 
of the sea. This man he named Adam, which means 
“taken from earth.” God had, prior to this, prepared 
a beautiful garden home for Adam, called Eden, which 
was a terrestial paradise, resplendent with ornate 
shrubbery, trees and fruit of every kind. God also 
placed within this garden animals of every species for 
Adam to name as he wished. God also appointed in 
this garden a tree of evil fruit, which, if partaken of, 
would surely cause death. This garden was located in 
Mesopotamia, a fertile plain between the Rivers Eu- 
phrates and Tigres, in all probability near the modern 
city of Bagdad, for here is the only place in Asia where 
four rivers are near each other, and necessarily cor- 
roborate the Scriptures, — two branches of the Eu- 
phrates and two of the Tigres. 

This proves, geographically speaking, the garden 
of God must have been in the locality stated. 

After God had created Adam, He could see that 
it was not well for man to live alone, so He created a 
woman and named her Eve, meaning “mother of all 
the living.” The story of Adam and Eve has been an 
anathema to many, and will be to millions yet unborn. 
Yet, why should we be incredulous about anything 
God has done? No matter what is imputed to Him, 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


11 


though it is complex and its phenomena chaos and 
darkness to us, it is clear to His omnipotent mind. If 
He could make the great mountain ranges, the great 
seas and shores that are levees to curb the lenten 
waters, and could make the beautiful winding river in 
the valley to drain the waters of the upland plain; 
and if He could stud the canopy of heaven with spark- 
ling jewels that we call stars and planets, and cause 
them not only to have their being but to rotate and 
shine, and to have each one and all play its respective 
part in the indispensable symphony of the universe — if 
his skill is consummate to the work above mentioned, 
He is surely capable of making Adam of dust and Eve 
of bone. 

After Eve had partaken of the good fruit of the 
garden, which was, of course, their daily food, she 
walked beneath the tree of evil fruit, which looked even 
more tempting than the fruit she had been eating. Eve 
was contemplating in her mind how luscious that fruit 
would be if she could only eat of it; still she knew it 
was forbidden. "While she was looking at the fruit in 
a suppliant attitude, a large serpent approached her 
and told her to eat of the fruit. The serpent over-per- 
suaded her by telling her the fruit could be eaten with 
perfect impunity. The serpent was beautiful, as we 
know a large snake is beautiful in color, and very 
graceful. The serpent’s overtures and beauty to- 
gether, caused Eve to yield and give way to the ani- 
mal part of her make-up. She ate of the evil fruit, 
and when her husband approached near the spot where 
Eve had been talking to the serpent, she gave Adam 
some of the fruit and told him to eat of it and fear 
not, for the serpent had informed her as to the merit 


12 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


and demerit of the fruit, and that she had experienced 
great sensual pleasure from it. 

Adam ate of the forbidden fruit, and as soon as 
he yielded to the overwhelming temptations of a 
beautiful woman, as no doubt Eve was, God sent his 
angel to the garden with a sword of many sharp edges 
reflecting refractory rays in their midst. They were 
not ashamed, for they knew at once that they had 
caused the Lord anguish, and they tried to hide their 
nakedness from the angel by making garments of fig- 
leaves to cover their bodies. This was useless, for God 
saw them and drove them from his garden of Paradise. 
As they were leaving, the trees and shrubbery and 
everything in the garden assumed hideous shapes; 
everything was deformed. Two cherubs -were placed 
at the entrance of the garden to guard it. Adam and 
Eve were driven into the world to make their livelihood 
by the sweat of their brows. 

After some years Cain and Abel were born. After 
Cain had killed Abel, he went into the Land of Nod 
and took a wife. 

This probably sounds like an anathema, for where 
could he get a wife when his own mother was the only 
woman in the world? But this is easy to philosophize 
or explain. There were probably Aborigines in the 
Land of Nod in those days, as there were in America 
four centuries ago. This type of man in God’s mind, 
who had perhaps grown up by an amorphism to a be- 
ing that in corporeal development was analogous to 
his mother’s bodily makeup, but was not eligible or 
worthy to be classed a man after his own image, being 
only a degree above the baboon. God could not accept 
such as one of the Royal Family. However, as far as 
our progenitors are concerned, it need matter but 



THE CONFUSION OF TONGUES 
































































































































































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THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


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little to us, for all of the posterity of Cain and Adam, 
except Seth, were flooded from the face of the earth by 
the deluge. 

After Eve was driven from the garden of Eden, and 
she could see with her own eyes the terrible physical 
manifestation of God’s anger and predominating su- 
premacy, she must have been humbled, and was able 
to see her past wrong-doing while in luxury. She was 
then repentant, and to expiate her sins, made obei- 
sance to God in prayer. God, seeing that she was of a 
contrite heart and really sorry for her sins, could see 
still a nucleus of good in her. So Adam and Eve, 
many years after their expulsion from earthly para- 
dise, conceived and bore Seth, who was destined to be 
the father of the Semetic race, for his sons walked with 
God. 

After ten generations Noah was born. At the time 
of his birth the people of the entire earth had become 
corrupt. Many of God’s angels had become corrupt 
also. So God prepared a hell for the unruly angels of 
heaven, and a flood for the corrupt people of the earth 
to consume them, and every living thing on the face 
of the earth, except Noah and his family and two each 
of every animal species, male and female, of the earth. 
The Lord came to Noah, who was a just man in the 
sight of God, and made known to him what He was 
going to do, and told him to build an ark of Gaper 
wood and seal it within and without with pitch. “And 
the Lord said unto Noah, come thou and all of thy 
house into the ark, for thee have I seen righteous in 
this generation. And of every clean beast thou shalt 
take to thee by sevens, male and female, to keep thy 
seed alive upon the face of all the earth.” 

Noah did as the Lord commanded. He built the 


14 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


ark, placed the animals in the ark, and took his three 
sons, Ham, Shem and Japheth, with their wives, and 
went straightway into the ark. 

The fountains of heaven were loosened in pouring 
streams. Gargoyles of hell vomited forth their copious 
floods. Forty nights and forty days the elements in 
bellicose rage spent forth upon the wicked earth with 
such fury that all was lost except the ark and the few 
it contained. 

Yfhen the Lord saw he had vanquished the wicked 
into everlasting death, the clouds vanished into noth- 
ingness; the inverted bowl of heaven was a sapphire 
dome. God’s face reflects once more upon the deep, to 
assuage and dry the torrents that had fallen. 

Noah saw that the rains had ceased, and God’s ven- 
geance had been satiated. He removed the covering 
of the ark and sent forth a raven. The raven circled 
around and around until it was lost to their view, and 
was never seen by them again. 

Noah sent forth a dove, and the dove found no rest 
for its feet, and returned to the ark. After seven days 
Noah sent forth another dove, and this dove returned 
with an olive branch in its beak, which was then, as 
now, the emblem of peace. Noah knew by this that the 
waters were abating. He waited seven more days and 
sent forth another dove that never returned. Noah 
looked and beheld dry land. The ark had floated to 
the north of Armenia and landed on top of a high 
mountain called Arrarat. The gangways of the ark 
were opened, and the animals went forth and spread 
themselves over the face of the earth. As soon as 
Noah and his family left the ark, they made an altar 
of stone and offered as a sacrifice a burnt offering to 



THE DELUGE 












THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


15 


God in appreciation of his blessings in delivering them 
from death and damnation. 

Ham, the oldest son of Noah, is the father of the 
black race, or Hametic race, as it is often called. 

The generations of Shem are Arphaxad, Salah, 
Eber, Pleg, Rev. Scrag, Nahor, Terah and Abraham. 

Ham begat Cush and Cush begat Nimrod, the great 
hunter. 

The sons of Noah became prolific and their sons 
redundant with children as well. After many years 
they all journeyed East to the beautiful plain of Shin- 
ar. After they had reached this fertile plain, they 
conceived the idea of erecting a brick tower that would 
reach the heavens. They built it many cubits high, 
when God came and confounded their language so that 
they were not able to understand one another, and by 
so doing put a veto on their continuation of the work 
of construction. This is why the tower is called Babel, 
for they could only babel. They would make the effort 
to convey their thought by lingual expression, but it 
would be inaudible and incoherent. They were com- 
pelled to give up their project. Their idea was that 
they could build a tower to heaven, and could commune 
with the Holy Spirit, or could journey on up and into 
heaven itself. God confounding their language as he 
did, caused them to abandon their operations and to 
scatter in every direction. This is why there are so 
many languages and dialects among the people of the 
earth. 

In those days theophany was often resorted to. 
God came to Abraham and told him to “Get 
thee out of thy fatherland, and go where I tell thee, 
and I will bless thee and make thy name great, and in 
thee shall all of the families of the earth be blessed.’ ’ 


16 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


Abraham and Sarah, his wife, and Lot, his broth- 
er’s son, went forth into the Land of Canaan, and as 
they came upon the plain of Moriah, the Lord came to 
him and gave him this land, and Abraham built an al- 
tar to the Lord here on this land. There was a famine 
in the land of Canaan at this time. This condition of 
things caused him to go further south into Egypt. 

Sarah, Abraham’s wife, was very fair and pleasing 
to look upon, and Abraham told her that for their wel- 
fare they must travel clandestinely in Egypt, for if it 
was discovered that she was his wife, the Egj^ptians 
might kill him and take her to wife. Sarah consented to 
this, and pretended to be a sister of Abraham. 

They went in unto Pharaoh, King of Egypt, and he 
was at once entranced with Sarah’s beauty and grace. 
He made them guests at his imperial court and lav- 
ished presents and honors upon them both. Pharaoh, 
believing her to be a virgin, thought he could add her 
to his list of many wives. 

This did not please the Lord, for Sarah had already 
been appointed by the Almighty to be the grandmoth- 
er of Israel. So, God, to appease his anger, brought 
plagues upon Pharaoh, the King of Egypt. Pharaoh 
could see the reason for this, that they were sent upon 
him on account of his new Hebrew guests’ influence, 
and he reproached Abraham for his cupidity, saying 
to him: “Why did you not inform me as to the true 
identity of the woman. Take her and your camels 
and all that is yours and get away from me and my 
country.” 

Abraham was very rich at this time, his trip to 
Egypt having been a profitable one. He was ready to 
go out of the Land of Egypt back to the Hill of Mor- 
iah, where he had made an altar to the Lord. The Lord 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


17 


told him to look North, East, South and West. Abra- 
ham did as he commanded; then the Lord told him the 
land that his eyes had just surveyed was his. 

Lot and Abraham did not agree on many points, 
so Lot went East to Sodom, where he made his home. 
Sodom and Gemorrah were very wicked cities at this 
time, so Abraham remained in the land of Canaan. 
God told Abraham he would give him and his posteri- 
ty this land forever. 

There was Avar in the vicinity of Sodom, and Lot, 
Abraham’s nepheAV, had been taken a prisoner of Avar, 
and all of his goods had been confiscated. Abraham 
was informed of his nephew ’s plight, and he made haste 
to muster his three hundred strong armed soldiers, and 
go forth to relieve his brother’s son. 

Abraham conquered the enemy, and brought Lot 
back Avith him to the Land of Canaan. On their re- 
turn home they came by Salem. Melchizedek Avas King 
of Salem at this time, and he Avas greatly pleased Avith 
Abraham’s recent operations in war. When Abraham 
and his hosts Avere passing Salem on their return jour- 
ney, Melchizedek, the king who Avas priest of the most 
high God, came out and blessed Abraham, and said, 
“Blessed be Abraham of the most high God! Posses- 
sor of heaA^en and of earth.” 

Sarah Avas effete, and in consequence thereof, Avas 
childless. This fact Avas humiliating to her, so she 
consented to Abraham’s wish to have a child by Hagar, 
Sarah’s handmaiden, Avhich in those days Avas not 
looked upon as a great sin as it Avould be today. Big- 
amy, polygamy, and polyandry Avere not thought of in 
those days only as being natural, legal and moral. 
Many rich men had tAventy to fifty wives, as in the 


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THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


large Turkish harems of our day and age. They have 
many wives in their seraglios. 

Abraham, with this understanding with Sarah, 
went in unto Hagar and she bore a male child, who 
was named Ishmael. Until this time Abraham’s name 
was Abram, but now the Lord desired to establish a 
covenant with him, and he changed his name to Abra- 
ham. God told Abraham he would make him exceed- 
ingly fruitful, and that he must keep this covenant 
with him and his children after him in their genera- 
tions. The covenant between the Lord and Abraham 
was: “ Every male child among you shall be circum- 
cised, and you shall circumcise the flesh of your fore- 
skin, and it shall be a token of the covenant between 
you and me.” 

Until this time Sarah’s name was Sarai, which the 
Lord changed to Sarah. They had at this time reached 
the ripe old age of one hundred years, yet Sarah con- 
ceived and bore a son and named him Isaac. 

Not long after the birth of Isaac the Lord came to 
Abraham and told him he was going to destroy Sodom 
and Gemorrah because they were such wicked cities. 
Abraham was perhaps apathetic as to the city being 
burned, but he was interested in his relations and 
those who were good and worthy in the condemned 
towns. Lot had again left Abraham and had gone 
back to Sodom to live. Abraham asked the Lord if 
he would destroy the city if there were fifty good 
people inside of its walls. The Lord answered that he 
would not destroy it if it contained fifty good people. 
Then Abraham asked the Lord if it contained ten good 
people would he destroy it, and the Lord said that he 
would not destroy it if even ten good people were with- 
in its walls. 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


19 


After Lot and his family had been led out of the 
city by the help of the Lord, the city burned. Lot’s 
wife turned to look at the conflagration for the last 
time, as they were leaving the city to go into the 
mountains, and as she looked at this wicked pyre she 
turned to a pillar of salt. 

Lot and his two daughters went on into the moun- 
tains to dwell in a cave. The two daughters, realizing 
that their family was likely to become extinct, resolved 
to give their father wine and lie with him that they 
might give birth to children, which they did. They put 
him to sleep with wine and he, unknown to himself, 
conceived with his daughters and they bore children. 
This was not incest, for it is altogether probable that 
the daughters’ pregnancy was brought about through 
the agency of some superhuman power. 

Sarah by this time had become very jealous of her 
servant Kagar, and refused to have her about the tent 
of Abraham any longer. She could not tolerate her 
nor the son Ishmael, and made the fact known to Abra- 
ham, who at once gave Hagar food and water and sent 
her away. 

Hagar was an Egyptian, and Ishmael, years after, 
married an Egyptian, and Hagar no doubt, went event- 
ually into Egypt, the land of refuge to the Hebrew, a 
name that Egypt richly deserves. 

The angel of the Lord told Hagar her son Ishmael 
would be a wild man, his hand would be against every 
man’s hand and every man’s hand against him, conse- 
quently he is called the father or patron of the Bedou- 
ins, or the people who live a nomadic life in the des- 
ert; they were named after Ishmael, or Iskmaelites. 

God told Abraham to go to Mount Moriah, upon 
which is the large rock beneath the dome of the mosque 


20 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


of Omar in Jerusalem, which is the site of Solomon’s 
temple. The mosque of Omar, which stands on this 
holy soil, was built by the Saracen King Saladin 
from the ruins of the temple of Solomon, which was 
destroyed by Titus. 

In the time of Abraham this spot was a wilderness. 
All that was there at that time was this immense stone, 
which is as large as an ordinary dwelling house. It 
was upon this altar of natural rock, carved by God’s 
own hands, that Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac, 
his beloved son. God told him to make a hecatomb of 
his son’s body. As much as Abraham loved his. son, 
Isaac, he was willing to sacrifice him at God’s com- 
mand. Isaac was willing to immolate himself, or to be 
immolated on the altar by fire, for he knew it was not 
his father’s will alone, but the will of his father’s God 
who impelled the parricide that was about to be con- 
summated. Isaac even gathered the wood or fagots, 
himself. As Abraham raised the knife to dispatch his 
only son into eternity, the angel of God stayed his hand 
to save the brave and noble child from whose loins 
was yet to come forth Jacob, the man and Israel the 
prince. However, God could see Abraham’s fidelity 
and godly devotion, and to fulfil the sacrifice, a ram 
was caught by its horns in a thicket nearby, and as 
Abraham looked up he saw this ram and went and 
sacrificed it instead of his son Isaac, for God had only 
tried Abraham’s devotion to test his sincerity. 

After Abraham’s son Isaac had attained the age of 
forty years, he desired Isaac to take unto himself a 
wife. Abraham made preparations for a pilgrimage 
into his own country in search of a young, pure and 
beautiful virgin for his son. 


THE HISTORY OP THE BIBLE 


21 


Sarah at this time was dead, and they buried her in 
Hebron, in a tomb that Abraham had purchased for 
her, where Abraham and Isaac were both buried years 
later. 

The tent of Abraham had become lonely after the 
death of Sarah, his wife, and now if Isaac’s young 
wife could fill her place, it would cheer them and bring 
them out of their present state of apathy. 

Abraham fitted out his camels and gave Eleazer, 
his servant, orders how to proceed, and also what kind 
of a girl he desired to become the wife of his son Isaac. 
Abraham also gave beautiful jewels to Eleazer to pre- 
sent to the lucky one whom his son might choose. 
Eleazer, armed with the necessary traveling parapher- 
nalia, and also with munitions for love’s conquest, 
which he knew was the motive of his foreign invasion, 
started on his journey. Eleazer was a good servant 
and endeavored to serve his master, even in this capaci- 
ty, to the best of his ability. He traveled over deserts 
by day and slept by night on his way to Harran, to 
locate the future mother of Israel. In due time the 
city of Nahor was reached. Eleazer and his caravan 
were very tired on reaching the outskirts of the little 
village. It was evening, and the sun was far in the 
west. They drove to the Pool of Nahor, just outside 
of the town, to water their camels before going to an 
inn or hotel inside of the village. As Eleazer alighted 
from his camel, to proceed to the well or pool to re- 
fresh himself and his camels with a draught of this 
clear water, he spied a young and beautiful virgin 
drawing water from the pool with a jug. One can 
imagine how graceful this beautiful girl, Rebekah must 
have appeared to Eleazer as he asked her if he could 
sip from her jug. She so tenderly and gracefully held 


22 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


the jug and said, “ Drink, not sip, my Lord.” This 
was a sign given to Abraham by the Lord. He made 
Eleazer familiar with this sign before he left him. “God 
will go before you and the dame at Haran. She who 
offers you drink at the pool is the one to become the 
wife of my son Isaac.” 

After Eleazer had drank, Rebekah volunteered to 
water the camels also from her jug. Such jugs in 
those parts even to this day are used to water animals 
from. As soon as Rebekah did this, Eleazer could 
plainly see that she fulfilled the prophecy, and was the 
very one he had made this long journey for. As she had 
shown so much hospitality at the pool, he said to 
her, “For your kindness I offer you these jewels,” 
and he gave her the jewels which Abraham had sent 
by him. At this moment Eleazer asked Rebekah who 
she was, and if her parents could offer him provender 
for his camels and lodging for himself for the ensuing 
night. She answered, saying “I am the daughter of 
Bethuel, and we have plenty for you and your camels, ’ ’ 
as she led him to her parents’ home. On reaching the 
home her brother Laban greeted Eleazer and welcomed 
him, as was the custom of inn-keepers in those days, 
especially when a guest came with a caravan of camels 
and a retinue. Laban looked upon the monetary end 
of it and not the sentimental, for he was avaricious 
and longed to become a man of wealth. 

This same evening, as they were about the table 
eating and drinking, Eleazer made known the object 
of his errand in the East, saying: “God has guided 
me to your house. The nature of my errand here in 
these parts is just this: My worthy lord and master 
Abraham has sent me here in quest of a young virgin 
daughter of his own native land to become the wife of 
his son Isaac.” 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


23 


As soon as Eleazer made known his errand, Laban 
said he could not allow his sister Rebekah to go at 
once; that she must tarry a few days with him until 
he could prepare himself to part with her. 

Eleazer said he could not wait here, he would have 
to know at once and be on his way, and suggested that 
they leave the matter to Rebekah for decision. I sup- 
pose her cheeks colored and her eyes flashed when the 
matter was left to her judgment. Rebekah said she 
would gladly go with Eleazer to the land of Canaan 
to become the wife of Abraham’s son Isaac. 

They started on their journey for the West, Rebek- 
ah and her aya, or nurse, Eleazer and his retinue. As 
they left Nahor, this unsophisticated Rebekah bade her 
family a tender farewell. In due time they arrived 
in the land of Canaan. Isaac met Rebekah as she ap- 
proached the tent of Abraham. He greeted her tender- 
ly and led her kindly into the tent or home of his 
mother. 

Isaac was not of a vacillating disposition. He made 
his home in the land of Canaan all his life. 

After twenty years had elapsed, Isaac and Rebekah 
were blessed with male twins. This was a great con- 
solation to Abraham, for he had been assured that out 
of his seed there would come posterity to bless many 
nations. Now, that these two sons were born whose 
names were Jacob and Esau, Abraham was much 
pleased. When they were born, Jacob had hold of 
Esau’s heel, and this he continued through life, for he 
supplanted his twin brother Esau, as you will read 
later. Esau was a strong robust boy, with rough hairy 
skin, while Jacob was tender and sweet, with a com- 
plexion of a mixture of the lily and the rose, soft and 
pliable; he was his mother’s boy and darling. 


24 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


One day when Esau had been out in the wilderness 
hunting game, and had perhaps become lost and wan- 
dered about until sunset before he reached home, he 
came into the family tent nearly exhausted with 
fatigue and hunger. Jacob had just completed the 
chore of making his own pot of porridge, and was 
about to partake of it, when his brother entered the 
tent and told Jacob that he was nearly famished for 
food, and would perish before he could prepare his own 
supper. He also related his experience in the wilder- 
ness. Then he appealed to Jacob to sell him his pot 
of porridge that was before him and that he was about 
to eat. They bartered for a while, and finally came to 
an agreement that he (Jacob), would give him his pot of 
porridge for his (Esau’s) birthright. This was agree- 
able to Esau, and he took the porridge and ate it. Thus 
was Esau’s life saved. 

Many years then elapsed and Isaac had become 
senile and blind, and was afraid he would go where 
Abraham, his father, was in Heaven before he blessed 
his two boys. So, to be sure of his benison, he told 
Esau what kind of meat he wanted him to get for 
him, and requested him to cook and bring it before 
him to eat, and he would bless him. The meat was to 
be venison. Rebekah overheard this order of her hus- 
band, and she, loving Jacob so much more than Esau, 
wanted him to have the father’s first blessing. So, 
while Esau was out to kill the deer for his father, Re- 
bekah resorted to subterfuge to have Jacob imperson- 
ate Esau that he might receive the blessing intended 
for Esau. Rebekah was equal to the emergency. She 
did not like Esau because he had married the daugh- 
ter of Heth. This had caused her much unhappiness, 
and now she resolved that her darling Jacob should 




















































































































































ISAAC BLESSING JACOB 






THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


25 


have the first blessing of their godly father Isaac. Re- 
bekah called Jacob to her and told him her plan, and 
what she had overheard, and also told him she had 
prepared a lamb instead of venison, and he must put 
the hide of the lamb on his hands and about his neck, 
so that if Jacob should feel him and find the skin rough 
and hairy, he would surely think it was Esau. 

Rebekah knowing that Isaac was blind, thought his 
taste would not be acute and that he could not discover 
any difference in the meat. 

Jacob did as he was told, and went in to his father 
with the dish of meat, and genuflexed before him to 
receive his blessing. As he knelt he announced to his 
father that he was Esau, and had brought in the dish 
of venison he asked for, and that he was before him 
to receive the blessing. Jacob was at once blessed by 
his father. As soon as he arose from his knees, Esau 
entered with his dish of venison and told his father 
that he was Esau and that he had brought the dish of 
venison that he so much desired. Isaac said to Esau 
that he had just blessed one who professed to be Esau. 
Esau realized that Jacob had supplanted him, and he 
was vexed at his cupidity, and reproached him for his 
duplicity and fraudulent usurpation of his suzerainty 
as an older brother and a father’s favorite. However, 
Isaac blessed Esau as well, and told him he should have 
the fatness of the earth and the dew of Heaven should 
be his. Esau had a vindictive feeling toward Jacob, 
and manifested it by swearing vengeance, and threat- 
ened to slay him at sight. Rebekah was aware of this, 
so she sent her beloved Jacob away on a journey to 
the home of her brother Laban, being the same place 
where Eleazer the servant of Abraham, went to seek 
a wife for Isaac. 


26 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


Many years had passed, and things had taken on a 
most decided change. However, Laban, the brother 
of Rebekah was still living in the old homestead. The 
retribution that came to Rebekah for her partiality and 
deception in having Jacob misrepresent to his blind 
father was that when Jacob kissed her good-bye to 
leave for the land of her nativity, she never saw him 
again, for she died shortly after. 

Jacob went on his way with a heavy heart, melan- 
choly, and feeling that he was a fugitive from filial 
malice, a self-evicted outcast and desecrated object of 
pity. He had traveled all day, and as night wore on 
he laid his tired body to rest with a stone for a pil- 
low. It was at the time of this night’s rest under the 
blue dome of heaven, with the dew or tears of the an- 
gels falling on this sleeping object in the desert that 
God ordained Jacob to be the father of the twelve tribes 
of Israel. It was here that Jacob had his vision in a 
dream of a ladder while he lay on the ground at Luz. 
God came to him and told him in his dream: “I am the 
Lord God of Abraham and of Isaac your father; this 
very ground you lay on I will give to you and to your 
seed, and behold I am with you in trials and tribula- 
tions, and will help and comfort you, and will make 
you the father of many nations.” 

Upon arising in the morning Jacob raised the stone 
on end that he had used for a pillow, and named the 
place, Bethel, The House of God. It was from this mo- 
ment on he served his God, the God of his grandfather 
Abraham, and of his earthly father, Isaac. 

From thenceforth he was a heavenly endowed 
prince. His life was an exemplary one. On the follow- 
ing day Jacob journeyed on and on until the beautiful 
sun dipped its golden crest into the Western sea which 































































































I 'll 










* 



































REBECCA AT THE WELL 






THE HISTORY OP THE BIBLE 


27 


threw its aureate sheen across the empyreal sands and 
metamorphosed the dusty desert into an earthly para- 
dise. The Subi Kazib, or false dawn of the East that 
comes to usher in the day, and that light of the East 
that has inspired verse from the bards of every nation, 
was what he saw on the morning when he awakened 
from his dream. This light has been heralded in both 
poetry and song from time immemorial. 

Jacob, viewing both of these beautiful scenes at the 
beginning and ending of this day, and the lights in 
the chamber of the South and the studded starry 
jewels of heaven at night, knew there was a God and 
a glorious one, and he no doubt resolved this day and 
from this day onward, that he would serve this God. 

At sunset of this day Jacob reached the city of 
Nahor, where Eleazer, the servant of Abraham, had 
asked Rebekah for a drink of water many years be- 
fore when he was there in quest of a young virgin to 
become the wife of Isaac. As Jacob approached the 
well, he saw a beautiful girl trying to remove a stone 
that was used as a covering for the well. The stone 
was so heavy she was experiencing much difficulty in 
removing it. Jacob took in the situation at a glance, 
and in his gallant manner, so characteristic of him, 
volunteered to assist her. As he removed the stone 
and also aided her in watering the sheep, he told her 
that he was from the land of Canaan, and was the son 
of Isaac and Rebekah. 

This young and beautiful girl was the daughter of 
Rebekah ’s brother Laban, a cousin of Jacob’s. This 
proved to be a really true case of pure and unadulterat- 
ed love at first sight, for Jacob tenderly and fondly 
kissed and caressed her, and pressed her to his heart 
as though he knew God had created her to be his wife, 


28 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin. This daugh- 
ter of Laban who proved to be Rachael, invited Jacob 
to live at their home with them during his sojourn in 
the land of Og. 

Jacob willingly accepted her invitation and went 
with Rachael to her home. Laban, his uncle, received 
him cordially, and tendered him all the hospitality his 
home would afford, but when Jacob asked for the hand 
and heart of his daughter Rachael, his head fell upon 
his breast in an attitude of meditation. He was not 
willing to allow that which was so near and dear to 
him to go from him without emolument or monetary 
consideration. He had raised her, and he was going 
to be remunerated for his trouble. Laban was a lover 
of mammon and pelf as well as he was of Rachael, 
and if Jacob loved her as he said he did, he would give 
him a chance to prove his love. 

Laban set forth a plan to Jacob by which he might 
earn his bride. He would not concede to any plan but 
the one he had laid down before Jacob. He could 
accept or reject it, as he saw fit. The plan was that 
he was to stay and work for Laban for seven years, 
and at the expiration of the time, he would forfeit 
Rachael to him to become his wife and life companion. 
Without doubt Jacob was reluctant about accepting 
this proposition, but his love for Rachael had assumed 
such large proportions that there was no obstacle he 
could or would not surmount to have her wholly and 
solely for his own. He saw there was no alternative 
in the matter, so agreed to abide by the will of Laban. 

Jacob worked the seven years with unremitting 
assiduity, and at the end thereof he went to Laban in 
a suppliant attitude and asked for his reward, which 
was to be the hand and heart of his daughter Rachael. 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


29 


Laban, being fond of worldly pelf to further his own 
ends and desires, now saw still another chance to 
satiate his greed, so he stooped to conquer He veiled 
Leah, his oldest daughter, and married her to Jacob. 
Jacob, thinking he was marrying Rachael, the idol of 
his soul, had been deceived by Laban, in whom he had 
implicit faith. However, the wedding had been solemn- 
ized, the ceremony had taken place, and the people of 
the country round about knew of the fact, and what 
had been done could not be undone. But there was 
still “balm in Gilead” for Jacob. Laban at once made 
known his second proposition to Jacob, whereby he 
still might win the object of his affection if he would 
diligently coincide therewith. He told Jacob that it 
was a custom in the land to marry the oldest daughter 
first, and that was the reason he had acted as he had. 
Whereas, as a matter of fact, he had resorted to turpi- 
tude and moral perversity to procure worldly gain. 

When Jacob discovered that he had been deceived 
by the crafty Laban, he became very angry, but this 
availed him nothing, so he decided to act in accordance 
with Laban’s wishes. He became politic in his de- 
meanor in order to get the very best out of his present 
condition possible. He felt that this trouble is retribu- 
tion sent upon him for surplanting Esau, his brother, 
as he had done. Jacob reconciled himself to his en- 
vironment as best he could while he lived with Leah. 
There was one redeeming feature: he still had a 
chance to have Rachael, she who had occupied his 
thoughts for seven years. Laban had told him he 
would give him Rachael to wife if he would stay and 
work seven years longer for him. Jacob consented to 
do this, for he was aware of the fact that he would 
have her near him during the seven years of toil. 


30 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


Jacob worked for Laban the extra seven years, and 
won the object of his choice. He had the two sisters 
now as his wives, still he remained in the land of Og 
for some time and worked after his conquest of love, 
labor and Laban. 

God came to Jacob and told him to return to the 
land of Canaan, so he gathered together his camels 
and cattle and all of his possessions and took his two 
wives, and placing them on his best camels, started 
on his long journey to the land of his father Isaac. 

God also told Jacob he would be with him, and 
not to fear. When they had come to within a mile or 
two of the old home, they could observe a multitude 
of people congregated on the plain waiting to meet 
them. This worried Jacob exceedingly, for he thought 
of the wrath of Esau, his brother; although twenty 
years had elapsed since he had seen him, he was still 
afraid he would appease his vengeance by slaying him. 
Jacob used strategy, and sent an envoy to meet him 
first and find out the status of things in Esau’s camp, 
and ascertain, if possible, if he still entertained a feel- 
ing of hostility toward him. By this envoy or servant, 
he sent some beautiful presents to be given to his 
brother Esau as a salutary offering, thinking this 
perhaps would be of inestimable value in mitigating 
his anger toward him. 

Jacob was very uneasy and restless as he saw the 
people manoeuvering towards him. He did not know 
what to do, for he greatly feared being killed by Esau. 
But, as they were advancing, he remembered what 
God had told him, that he would be with him, and at 
once all fear vanished from him and he knelt in prayer. 
As he raised from his prayer, he was approached by 
one of the men, with whom Jacob was at once taken, 


THE HISTORY OP THE BIBLE 


31 


owing perhaps to his personality. Jacob asked him 
many times, who he was, but he would make no reply. 
After they had wrestled together for many hours, the 
stranger, who proved to be an angel, said to Jacob: 
“You are no longer Jacob the man, but Israel, the 
Prince of God in whom is the Spirit of the most high.” 

Jacob was now back to that land that was des- 
tined to bear his princely name “Israel” forever. 
Rachael had borne him two sons, Benjamin and Joseph. 
Leah had borne him six sons, Reuben, the oldest of the 
sons, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulum. The 
sons of Belhah, Rachel’s handmaid, were Dan and 
Naphtall, and the sons of Leah’s handmaid, Zilpah, 
Gad and Asher. 

Joseph was the eleventh son of Jacob by Rachael 
and he was always his father’s favorite child. Joseph 
was a good, obedient child, and had the gift of inter- 
preting dreams. When but a boy he could interpret 
the most complex dreams. This godly wisdom kindled 
a flame of jealousy in the hearts of the other brothers, 
which was ultimately fanned into a blazing fire that 
consumed every scruple of conscience they ever pos- 
sessed. Their contumacy was so pronounced, after 
Joseph interpreted a dream to them and had explained 
by a sort of a didactic lecture, that they resolved in 
their several minds to conspire against him, and either 
place him in exile, vanquish or make way with him 
by some means or other. 

Joseph had told them he had dreamt of seeing 
twelve sheaves in the field standing on end, and that 
he was one of the twelve, which was in the center, the 
others standing about him. The eleven sheaves were 
to represent his eleven brothers, and the eleven sheaves 
were making obeisance to the center sheave, which 


32 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


was himself. This proved to be the initial cause of 
his exile, for the eleven brothers knew of the favor 
he had found in his father’s eyes, and they were afraid 
he would have dominion over them if things continued 
as they now were. 

Jacob had ordered a beautiful coat made for Joseph, 
and when the coat was finished, he gave it to Joseph, 
it being a coat of many colors. The fact that Jacob 
had given this beautiful coat to Joseph, did not tend 
to mitigate or lessen their jealousy, but on the con- 
trary inflamed their minds against him, and they 
grasped the first opportunity that presented itself to 
appease their anger. 

Jacob had occasion to send Joseph to Shechem to 
see the other brothers. When Jacob asked him to go, 
he was perfectly willing, as he was to do everything his 
father desired him to do. Jacob bade him good-bye 
with a parting kiss, and he started on his errand. Lit- 
tle did this old man know the mission God had in store 
for his beloved son Joseph. Yet if Jacob had known, 
and could have looked ahead twenty years, he would 
have allowed his son even then to go, for he was a God- 
fearing man, and would not repudiate God’s will. 

Joseph went to Shechem and met his brothers. They 
cast poor little Joseph into a pit or old abandoned well 
far into the bleak desert. They removed his coat of 
many colors, and killed a goat or sheep and smeared 
the coat with its blood. Blood that would have been 
Joseph’s, had not Reuben, the oldest brother, inter- 
vened and prohibited their carrying out their original 
plan of killing him. They took this blood-soaked gar- 
ment to the father, and too well did he recognize the 
coat and too well did he assume that the blood that 
was on the coat was the blood of his beloved son Joseph. 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


33 


They told the poor old man that the wild animals of 
the wilderness had torn him to pieces with tooth and 
talon, and the coat was all that remained. 

How easy it is to imagine the sorrow Jacob must 
have undergone after having been informed of the 
ignominious ending of his boy Joseph ! He was credu- 
lous as to the veracity of the brothers’ narrative of the 
killing of Joseph, not for a moment thinking that one 
of his sons would commit fratricide, or even conspire 
in the slightest manner against one of their own broth- 
ers. However, leaving the heart-broken parent for a 
moment, let us go back to poor Joseph, placed in a 
deep pit left there alone to die. But God forbade this 
early ending of Joseph, for he had great work in store 
for him. It was not long until a caravan of Ishmael- 
ites came along by the pit, and the brothers, seeing they 
could gain a few pieces of silver by selling him to these 
people, at once hoisted Joseph from his subterranean 
cell and sold him into bondage to these itinerate men. 
The Ishmaelites took him into Egypt. They went on 
to Memphis, the capital, and sold Joseph as a slave in 
the market place of that city. 

In the center of this oriental city was located 
the White Castle, or palace of the Kings, where the 
Pharaohs, meaning kings, held their court, and also 
made it their metropolitan habitation. There were 
spacious gardens that surrounded the palace, embel- 
lished with all the native flowers and fruits, date-palms, 
manderine3, oranges, cocoanut palms, pomegranates, 
bananas, grapes and many other luscious fruits too 
numerous to mention, and all of the beautiful that 
could be gathered together in one spot was in this gar- 
den. How different Joseph’s surroundings must have 
seemed to him there from that of his own Hebrew land ! 


34 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


Their mode of life, dress, and particularly their relig- 
ion and worship. Joseph had been taught to uphold 
and worship the three cardinal virtues that must be 
maintained to perpetuate civilization. They were the 
unity of God, the brotherhood of man, and the immor- 
tality of the soul. He had been taught to pray to the 
God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob, his father. 
But now he was where they worshipped the Apis or 
bull, the bug that they made an image of that is called 
a Scarab, the cat and the monkey, and most of the do- 
mestic animals. In passing the great pyramids of 
Gesiah, the one great Cheops and the Sphynx, Joseph 
must have been greatly entertained, even though he 
was in thraldom. Christendom to-day has to thank 
Ancient Egypt for many favors she has done for her in 
past ages. We should reverence her as a land of ref- 
uge, for many times, when there was no other alterna- 
tive, Egypt was sought. It is especially true in Joseph’s 
and Christ’s Egyptian experiences. 

However, to continue with Joseph: he became over- 
seer at Potiphar’s beautiful home. Joseph did not enjoy 
the grandeur of this palace long, though it was beauti- 
ful to behold, with its interior decorations and Egypt- 
ian frescoes and mural art, with large statues here and 
there as silent sentinels about the halls and rooms, also 
the sculptured relief and gabled porticos, supported 
by columns of carriatidees, for Joseph was arrested 
and charged with a crime of which he was not guilty. 
Joseph could not prove himself guiltless of this ignoble 
charge, which was that he had offended the humility of 
the Queen of Egypt. This was preposterous, for the 
Queen was a salacious woman, which was characteris- 
tic of most of the ancient oriental queens and nobility. 
Pharaoh’s queen made overtures to Joseph, and asked 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


35 


him to caress her. Joseph, being a prepossessing boy, 
the queen became fond of him and would have polluted 
his pure body and soul had he not been a boy with a 
godly spirit. The queen was a handsome woman and 
would have caused the majority of young men to recip- 
rocate her affections. When she asked Joseph to caress 
her, he started to run from her. At this she caught 
hold of his garments and tore them from him. 

The queen, being provoked at his ignoring her bodily 
graces and charms, at once her passion of love turned 
to hate, and she summoned the chaplain of the king’s 
mansion and exposed the boy Joseph to him in his nude 
and horrible predicament. Then, to shield her own 
virtue, she told the king that Joseph had with carnal 
intent disrobed in her presence. Joseph was placed in 
a cell in the citadel prison. Poor boy, what his thoughts 
must have been, incarcerated and persecuted for the 
sins of another. Still there was one solace in his sad- 
ness, and that was his faith in his God and in prayer. 
Joseph must have known he was superhumanly en- 
dowed with the spirit of the Almighty, for he had al- 
ready interpreted dreams for his brothers in the land 
of Canaan. At this time there was a butler of the pal- 
ace, who was accused of accepting a bribe to poison 
the King. This butler with another, was confined in a 
cell in the same prison that Joseph was in. After he 
had been in the prison for some time, he had a dream. 
He dreamt he was pressing juice from a bunch of 
grapes into the king’s cup and giving it to the king. 
He, being falsely accused by one of the king’s house- 
hold made him very anxious to know the meaning of 
his dream, to find out if he could, if there was any way 
to prove his innocence before Pharaoh. He began to 
wonder if there was any one who could interpret his 


36 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


dream. He asked Joseph one day about the matter, 
and Joseph at once asked him if dreams did not belong 
to God. After this the butler fortuitously related his 
dream to Joseph, and Joseph interpreted it for him. 
He told him “within three days Pharaoh will lift up 
thy head and restore thee as his butler. ’ ’ He also, in 
his conversation, related to the butler part of his own 
sorrows and troubles, that he had been stolen away out 
of the land of the Hebrews and had been sold as a slave, 
and was there in prison under false imputations. He 
charged the butler to speak a good word for him when 
he was liberated from the prison. 

When the three days were up, sure enough the but- 
ler was liberated and reinstated in his old position as 
the king’s butler. Time went on and on for two years. 
Poor Joseph thought he was forsaken by both God and 
man. At times he no doubt became despondent, but 
prayed to God that he would intercede in his behalf. 
One day, as he was praying to the heavenly paraclete, 
lo, and behold, his hour of deliverance had come. God 
had answered his prayers. He had also interpreted a 
dream for the other prisoner who had been arrested 
with the butler. This man was the baker. This baker 
was guilty of the crime of attempting to kill the king. 
Joseph told him he would be slain for his crime, and 
what was even worse, his body would be given to the 
fowls of the air and beasts of the plains. This was hard 
for an Egyptian, for they believed that the eternal sal- 
vation of the soul depended upon the preservance of 
the body that once the soul inhabited. 

In a few days the great day of days for the ancient 
Egyptians had arrived; this was the birthday of the 
Pharaoh their King, and a day of feasting and enjoy- 
ment. The kings of Egypt were worshipped by their 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


37 


subjects being divine as well as human. China, Tur- 
key and many other nations worshipped their kings as 
deities. China’s ruler was held to be a son or daughter 
of the celestial or heaven. Turkey’s sultan was consid- 
ered the true personification of Mohammed. On this 
holy day many prisoners were given their freedom, and 
many sentences of death were commuted to life impris- 
onment. The night just previous to the birthday of the 
King, he had a dream. The dream was of such a strange 
character that he became irritated and nervous, and 
sent for his chroniclers and sooth-sayers, and informed 
them of the nature of his dream, and also asked if they 
knew of one who could interpret it. The dream was 
an enigma to all of them, and he finally summoned his 
court about him, and even went so far as to ask his 
help in the palace to aid him. 

The butler at once thought of Joseph, up there in 
the citadel prison, and how correctly he interpreted his 
dream. He at once informed the King that he knew a 
young boy whose name was Joseph, who was in prison, 
who could interpret his dream. Pharaoh did not 
procrastinate a moment, but sent his servants with the 
necessary documents to release and bring the boy 
before him. After the servants reached the prison 
they washed and dressed Joseph in clean linen gar- 
ments, in order that he might appear well in the sight 
of the King. They brought poor Joseph before the 
King. His two years of confinement had added to his 
personal beauty rather than detracted from it. His 
face was pale and more classical. Prayer had made 
him take on a more holy appearance. His prayers 
were now being answered. He listened to the king’s 
dream as he stood before him. Pharaoh first said to 
Joseph that he had understood he was an interpreter 


38 


THE HISTORY OP THE BIBLE 


of dreams. “My boy, is this true ? ’ ’ the king exclaimed. 
Joseph claiming no merit for himself, replied, “It 
is not I, it is God who simply uses my tongue.’ ’ 

Pharoah proceeded to relate his dream. He said, 
“I saw seven fat kine devour seven lean kine, and of 
seven full ears devoured by seven shrunken ears of 
corn.” 

Joseph at once told him “Behold, there will be seven 
years of great plenty throughout the land of Egypt, 
and there will be afterwards seven years of famine, 
and the famine will consume the land. ’ ’ 

“What shall I do?” was the great question with 
Pharaoh. This was his soliloquy for a few moments, 
until Joseph spoke up and said: “Pharaoh, dear 
King, look out for a man who is careful in all things 
and endowed with wisdom, and put him in command 
over Egypt, that he may take the fifth part of all that 
is raised in cereals in the seven years of superabun- 
dance, and store it away for the seven years of famine 
and need.” 

Pharaoh answered Joseph, saying: “Forasmuch 
as God has manifested through you, dear boy, his 
mercy for the people of Egypt, there is no one that can 
act in that capacity to better advantage than you. I 
hereby appoint and request you to take full command 
over all Egypt, and no one shall be greater than you. 
You shall be second to me only.” 

Can you imagine how Joseph’s heart fluttered in 
that tender boyish breast, when he saw that he had 
within a single hour been raised from a prison to a 
palace and from a prisoner to a prince? The King 
handed him the signet ring to sign the royal seal at 
his will. He was admitted to the order of the priests, 
and was drawn in the royal chariots about the streets 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


39 


of Memphis. Pharaoh gave him an Egyptian name, 
Zaphnath Paaneah, the man to whom secrets are re- 
vealed. 

Joseph was married to the daughter of the high 
priest, Asenath, of Ou. Though young and beautiful, 
and raised to glory and power by the single stroke of 
Pharaoh’s imperial sceptre, Joseph was not filled with 
vanity and false pride. He was a boy and man of 
modest and submissive temperament and disposition. 
Through his days of sorrow and penal servitude, he 
had never forgotten his God, nor did he forget Him in 
his days of luxury, glory and honor. He still gave 
the glory to his God, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, 
and of Jacob. 

Joseph’s life was a life of happiness from this time 
on, for he strove for mankind and his betterment and 
the surety of life’s maintenance. His communistic 
spirit, and the philanthropy which he exemplified 
during his earthly career, proved him to be a true 
example of one who in the present day would be called 
a disciple of the Universal Brotherhood of Man. 

Joseph had been relieved of his troubles, hut his 
old father, Jacob, back in the land of Canaan, was 
wondering why his eleventh son, Joseph, had to be torn 
from him. He was convinced that he was dead, 
because he had seen the bloody coat of many colors. 
Jacob was seeing the darkness before the dawn, for 
the horizon of his world of sorrow was about to clear. 

The seven years of great plenty had come and gone. 
Joseph had saved the grain. The famine then pre- 
vailed throughout Egypt and Canaan, and in fact 
most of the world. Thousands were starving, lack of 
bodily nutrition had impoverished the human race. 
Pestilence and disease were then its sequels. In the 


40 


THE HISTORY OP THE BIBLE 


land of the Hebrews the venerable old man, Jacob, 
was compelled to send his sons into Egypt to petition 
the King for succor in his distress. The sons took up 
the pilgrim’s staves and started for Egypt, for they 
knew they could secure relief from starvation by 
purchasing the necessaries of life that had been stored 
away by a sapient Egyptian, the King’s counsellor. 
Little did they know that it was their once tender little 
brother Joseph, who, by and through his godly precepts 
and spiritual intelligence, would cause to be saved 
their lives, their father’s life and the world. 

Benjamin, the youngest son, did not accompany 
the brothers as they went into Egypt. Jacob was not 
going to give up Benjamin as willingly as he did 
Joseph. He sent the ten brothers into Egypt and kept 
Benjamin with him at home. 

The brothers reached the capital of the land of 
the Pharaohs, and going in to the King, made their 
errand known. He immediately referred them to his 
chancellor of the exchequer, who w T as Joseph. They 
appeared before Joseph, not for a moment thinking 
that their suppliant gestures were being made to a 
man who years before had been sold by them for a pet- 
ty sum, and whose life had been placed in jeopardy 
when he was a boy, unable to protect himself, and more- 
over, a brother to them. As soon as they entered the 
room, Joseph recognized them as his brothers by their 
mode of dress, their long beards, their staves and many 
other national characteristics. However, he appeared 
not to know them. He now recalls the dream of his youth, 
about the eleven sheaves making obeisance to the one. 
He can see again that his godly interpretations are 
true. He noticed at once that Benjamin, who was 
innocent of his being sold into slavery, was not with 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


41 


them. He also thought of his dear old father Jacob, 
and his welfare. 

Joseph, in order to find out the whereabouts of 
Benjamin, and learn if they had used Benjamin as they 
had him years before, and also to find out if his father 
was living or gone to God’s shadow-land, falsely ac- 
cused them to see if they will make known their 
identity. They answer Joseph by telling him “Thy 
servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in 
the land of Canaan, and behold the youngest is this 
day with our father, and one is not.” Joseph was so 
desirous of seeing Benjamin, that he quickly formu- 
lated a plan which he thought would accomplish this 
sooner or later. He accused them of being spies, and 
insisted that one of them return and bring their 
brother. This they refused to do, and were cast into 
prison. At the end of three days he summoned them 
before him again, and told them they might go back 
to their own land, but must leave one of the brothers 
with him as hostage. This they consented to do, and 
left Simeon as bail for their appearance. Joseph in- 
structed his servants to fill the sacks full of corn, and 
also place the gold that they had tendered him for the 
grain in the sacks to be returned, which were given 
to the brothers, and they departed on their journey 
home. 

Jacob did not want to part with his son Benjamin, 
and hesitated for several days before he would relent 
and concede to their taking him into the land of 
Egypt. But conditions in Canaan were assuming such 
proportions in famine and death, that Jacob could see 
the absolute necessity of letting the brothers take 
Benjamin and ,go for more food. Jacob sent his sons, 
and also sent to the good man of Egypt, presents in 


42 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


the form of balm, honey, nuts, spices, myrrh, and 
many other things of value. 

When they returned to the capital of Egypt, they 
were not received in the King’s palace, but in the 
beautiful home of Joseph, which was resplendent with 
gorgeous painting of fresco work, depicting the regal 
magnificence of his vice-regal glory and power. They 
went first to one of Joseph’s overseers and informed 
him that they discovered the money they had paid 
for the corn was in the sacks on their return home. 
The overseer had been directed to tell them they 
must not worry about that, for, if the money was there, 
it must have been returned to them, by their God 
whom they worshipped, for he had received the money 
and had credited it in due form. 

As they entered Joseph’s house, he spied his brother 
Benjamin, and it was hard for him to restrain himself 
from clasping his brother in his arms and telling him 
at once who he was. Joseph kept back the tears with 
difficulty, and asked about the old gentleman whom 
they had left in the land of Canaan, and if he was still 
alive. He looked again into the face of his little play- 
mate Benjamin, and thought of the days that were 
dead, when he sat about the family hearth with him 
perhaps popping corn or looking at pictures by the fire- 
light. When he looked into Benjamin’s innocent eyes, 
he was compelled to leave the room for a few minutes 
that his grief might spend itself. He was afraid his 
emotions would betray his identity, or at least cause 
them to think he had some deep sorrow. 

Joseph had them seated at the table in a row, 
according to their age. They wondered how he 
happened to do this. How could he know the chrono- 
logy of their births, they query between them. He 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


43 


had them all helped to food, but was extremely partial 
to Benjamin, for he gave him a copious meal. 

After they had eaten their dinner, he had their 
sacks filled with grain and sent the eleven brothers on 
their way rejoicing. They had gone about six hours 
on their journey, when they heard officers tell them to 
halt, and a moment later they were told they were 
under arrest in the name of the law of the land. The 
officers at once accused them of being thieves, but 
they staunchly maintained their innocence. They were 
told that they had taken the king’s gold cup, and one 
after the other opened their sacks to prove to the 
officers that they had not stolen goods in their 
possession. When Benjamin’s sack was opened the 
cup was found ; they could not account for this. Ruben 
spoke for Benjamin, but it was useless; they were 
reproached for accepting the hospitality of the King, 
and then show their gratitude by stealing. They still 
protested their innocence, but the officers brought 
them back to Joseph. The cup having been found in 
Benjamin’s sack was prima facie evidence, in Joseph’s 
conception of jurisprudence, that he was the guilty 
party; consequently, he and he alone would have to 
answer to the charge of theft. 

Joseph’s idea in having his servant place the king’s 
gold cup in the sack was to test his brothers, to see if 
they would abandon their brother as they once did 
him, but they did not. On the contrary, they did all 
they could to shield their brother. Joseph then saw 
their filial loyalty, for Judah acted as Benjamin’s 
counsel, in his defence. 

When they were all before him, Joseph made himself 
known to them, saying: “I am your brother Joseph.” 

On hearing this, they stepped back in utter amaze- 


44 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


ment and fright, saying: “Can it be Joseph has risen 
from the dead?” Benjamin was the first to approach 
him; he was innocent of helping to get rid of Joseph 
years before, and now that he sees him alive, he natural- 
ly becomes incredulous as to the story his ten brothers 
told of his death. Joseph could keep back his tears 
no longer. He folded Benjamin to his breast, and 
wept over him and kissed him fervently, and they both 
shed tears of joy over their being reunited. The ten 
brothers then got on their knees and appealed to 
Joseph in their humble attitude for his forgiveness, 
which was granted them; and a pleasant day passed 
between them before they left for their home in 
Canaan. 

Joseph loaded them down with grain and other 
food, and gave them a new wagon to take with them 
in which to bring his father back to Egypt as soon as 
they could make the journey. 

When they returned to their father’s house, what a 
relief and what joy must the old man have experienced 
when they informed him that his beloved son Joseph 
was living and was second to the King in power in 
Egypt, and that he had sent him a new wagon to 
transport him to Egypt that he might see him and 
caress him before he was called to his God in heaven. 
They also told their father that Joseph had given them 
a land of their own which was called Goshen, and that 
they could inhabit that land as a people, to themselves. 

Jacob said, “My boy is yet alive; I will go to 
Egypt and see him before I die.” 

When Jacob reached Memphis, and went in to his 
son, Joseph fell on his father’s breast and wept and 
kissed him. Jacob was also overcome with joy on 
meeting his long absent and favorite son. Jacob’s 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


45 


first request was to be buried in bis own land of 
Canaan. This request was granted, for at the death of 
Jacob, which occurred shortly thereafter, his remains 
were returned and buried in the land of Canaan. 

All of the house of Israel went into the land of 
Goshen that Joseph had given to them. Joseph told his 
brothers to have no fear, for all of their sins against 
him were forgiven; that they had only been instru- 
ments in God’s hands to further his ends in saving 
the people of the world from starvation. 

After Joseph’s long and useful career had come to 
an end, his bones were carried by the children of 
Israel into the land that God had promised them, thus 
ending the earthly acts of a man who was the most 
godly of all the twelve sons of Israel, and one of the 
most interesting characters of biblical history. 

About four hundred years had elapsed since the 
death of Joseph. The children of the eleven tribes of 
Israel had swollen into a great body of men, women 
and children, in the land of Goshen, and scattered 
about Egypt. They were skilled in their workmanship 
and were successful in whatever they undertook. But 
it was not as pleasant for them now in Egypt as it 
was in the days of Joseph. Times had changed; the 
Hebrews were treated as slaves, which had become 
unbearable to them. In their terrible condition they 
had almost forgotten their true God. Many of them 
had become idolaters. They were forced to build 
canals by digging the mud out with their hands, with 
task-masters and whips to their backs to compel them 
to work beyond their strength and endurance in this 
tropical sun. 


46 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


At last God came to their rescue. He gave them a 
man from the house of Levi who would deliver them 
from bondage and pilot them into a land of milk and 
honey, the land that was promised their progenitors, 
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The Pharaoh, or “Child 
of the Sun,” was Rameses the second. At this period 
he was a great king in many ways. He built many 
temples, tombs, palaces, et cetera. At Karnack and 
Thebes, in Upper Egypt, his munificence in temples 
and collosi and great avenue of sphinxes can be seen 
even in this day. The tombs of the kings were excavat- 
ed but a few years ago where they found his mummified 
remains in a monolith which is one of the most interest- 
ing pieces of archaeological antiquities I have ever 
seen in my many years of travel. To build these 
great monuments of history, which have perpetuated 
his name, and exalted him above many other kings 
who perhaps were more worthy of exaltation, has 
cost the lives of thousands of men who were held as 
slaves, doomed to work until they perished under this 
cruel domineering majestic supremacy. 

Seti, the father of Rameses, issued an edict that 
the first born of every family of Hebrews should be 
drowned. The Hebrews were a prolific race, and the 
King was afraid that their continual increase would 
eventually subjugate his native race. Time was now 
ripe for God’s intervention. 

Amram, (“the kindred of the most high,” the 
meaning this word is supposed to convey) went 
into the house of Levi, and took his wife, Jachebeb, 
“the pride of Jehovah.” They were blessed with two 
children, Miriam a female, and Aaron a male. These 
two children were hidden, and the parents kept the 
fact of their births from the authorities, that their 













































































MOSES IN THE BULLRUSHES 



THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


47 


lives might be spared. It was not long, however, until 
another child was born to them, but this time the 
Egyptians had by some means, become aware of this 
accouchement, and were seeking the child to drown 
it. So they decided to put him in a basket and place 
pitch about the basket so that it would not leak, and 
launch it on the River Nile, and let the God of 
Abraham take care of it. This was done, and the 
basket with its invaluable contents floated down the 
Nile until it reached the Island of Rhoda, which is a 
small island in the Nile River in the city of Cairo. 
Here the little ark floated among the bullrushes and 
lodged in a shallow, marshy part of the river island. 

This was a very historical part of Cairo; the Old 
Nilometer is on this island, located in a subterranean 
passage running from the bed of the river up to the 
surface of the island, and being a guage showing in 
cubits how much the Nile raised or lowered. 

Also near this island is the old Coptic Church, under 
which Mary and Joseph and Jesus found refuge from 
Herod when they fled into Egypt. It was on this 
little island’s shore that Pharaoh’s daughter went to 
bathe, or to wade in the waters of the Nile, where she 
spied a basket containing a child. As soon as she saw 
the child she loved it and adopted it, and gave it a 
name, Moses, which means in the vernacular of the 
ancient Egyptians, “water-saved” — mo meaning 
water, and ses , saved. 

Moses was reared and educated in luxury in the 
best schools of the time. He lived in the palace of the 
King until he was forty years old, and his reason for 
leaving there at that time was on account of his slaying 
an Egyptian. One day Moses saw an Egyptian 
abusing a Hebrew, and he went up to the Egyptian and 


48 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


drew his sword and slew him. A few days after this 
Moses saw two Hebrews quarreling, one of them being 
the one whom he had shielded by slaying his oppressor. 
As Moses approached and endeavored to arbitrate the 
matter, the one said to him, “Wilt thou kill me as thou 
didst the Egyptian yesterday?” This greatly dis- 
turbed Moses, and he concluded that he had better 
leave the King’s palace and go to the Kenites, a 
tribe that were Jews, for they were descendents of 
Abraham. After he had reached the land of the 
Kenites, he saw a number of men watering their stock 
at a well. A young maiden was there amoiig them, 
exerting herself far beyond her strength to obtain 
water. She was continually pushed back from the 
well by the strong men. Moses, on approaching, 
observed her discomfiture at a glance, and went to the 
well, uttering an imprecation to the ungallant men, 
threw them back with his strong arms and procured 
w r ater for the young maiden and also her sheep. This 
pleased her so much that she told her father what the 
young man had done. Her father invited Moses to his 
house, being proud to meet a man with such a spirit 
of chivalry in his country. Jethro gave Moses a 
cordial welcome to come to his home, which pleased 
his daughter, for Moses, by his gallantry, had won her 
heart. 

It was at Jethro’s home that Moses lived from this 
time on, and in due time married Jethro’s daughter. 
Her name was Zepporah. Moses and his wife 
Zepporah made their home in a tent on the Sinai 
Peninsula, remaining there at least forty-five years, 
until Moses took up God’s work which was in store 
for him. Moses was an old man before he began to 
deliver his Hebrew kith and kin from bondage, and 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


49 


at the age of eighty-five years Moses, or “the man of 
God,” was to begin his godly mission. He received 
word as to what he was to do from the God of 
his fathers. God revealed himself to him in a burning 
bush in the desert. It continued to burn, but was not 
consumed into ashes. Moses advanced near to it and 
heard a voice come from the bush, “Moses, Moses, 
Moses !” 

“Here am I,” Moses answered. The Lord then 
said, “I have seen the afflictions of my people which 
are in Egypt by reason of their task-masters, for I 
know their sorrows, and I have come down to deliver 
them out of the hands of the Egyptians, and I will 
take them into a land of milk and honey. This is the 
land of the Carmanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perezzerites, 
Hivitites and the Jebusites. I command you, Moses, 
to go to Pharaoh and tell him you are going to take 
your people out of Egypt.” Moses said to the Lord, 
“Who am I that I can go unto the King and ask him 
or tell him I will go from his land with many of his 
best people and servants?” 

God said unto him, “Go, and I will be with thee; 
I will give thee a tongue and will put words into your 
mouth. If he asks you who you are, tell him ‘I am 
that I am, ’ and I am has sent me here ? And say unto 
the children of Israel, that the God of their fathers 
has sent you to deliver them from bondage, and as a 
token you shall serve me upon the mountain of God.” 

Moses said to the Lord, “But I am sure the King 
will not let us go from this land, nor even will he let 
us go three days journey into the desert to serve 
thee.” 

God said to Moses, “I will stretch out my hand 
over Egypt and will cause famine and pestilence to 


50 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


come upon them, also frogs, fleas, locusts, rivers of 
blood and all sorts of disaster will I bring upon the 
land if he refuses to allow you to go.” He said 
further, “ Aaron, thy brother, is thy spokesman.” 

Moses said, ‘ ‘ It is well that he is, for I am no orator, 
and Aaron is fluent of speech, but what am I to do? 
The people will not believe me, that I am endowed 
with any godly intelligence or that my guidance is an 
afflatus from thee.” 

God asked him what he had in his hand, and Moses 
replied that it was a rod. God told Moses to drop it 
on the ground, and Moses did as God commanded, and 
the rod became a serpent, and Moses fled before it. 
Then the Lord said, “Take it by the tail,” which 
Moses did, and it turned into a rod as it was before. 

Whereupon Moses left his father-in-law, Jethro, 
and went into Egypt to deliver the children of Israel. 
Aaron met Moses on the Mountain of God, and at the 
Lord’s command they went into Egypt. They perform 
signs and wonders with this rod before the children of 
Israel, and this at once inspires them with confidence 
in Moses and Aaron, and they swear allegiance to them. 

Moses does as God has commanded him. He goes 
in unto Pharaoh, King of Egypt, and asks him if he 
and his people can go into the wilderness and serve 
the Lord. 

“And who is the Lord that I should obey and let 
you serve in the wilderness?” he retorted. “It is the 
Lord of the Hebrews,” Moses answered. “Let us go 
into the Wilderness and serve him lest he bring famine 
and pestilence upon us.” 

Pharaoh reproached Moses and Aaron and told 
them to go unto their work. 

This same day Pharaoh increased the people’s tasks. 



























% 











MOSES AND AARON BEFORE PHAROAH 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


51 


God came to Moses and Aaron, and said to them: “I 
am the great Jehovah. By this name I was known 
to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I have 
established my covenant with them that I would give 
them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage 
where they were strangers. I have heard the children 
of Israel; I have heard their prayers and seen their 
sufferings. I will deliver them. ’ 1 

Moses and Aaron gathered the children of the 
twelve tribes of Israel or Jacob together. Fathers, 
mothers, sisters, brothers, sons and daughters 
of the sons of the sons ’ sons, which are from the sacred 
flesh of Jacob. 

Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh and per- 
formed miracles that astonished him. Aaron cast his 
rod on the floor of the palace and it turned into a 
serpent. Pharaoh called in his magicians and sooth- 
sayers and asked them to do the same as Aaron had 
done. They cast their staves or rods on the floor and 
Aaron’s consumed them by swallowing them. Moses 
then asked Pharaoh, the King, if they might go and 
serve their Lord. He informed the King that he had 
been sent there by the Lord Almighty to ask his Royal 
Highness, the King of Egypt, if he would let them 
depart out of his land. Pharaoh, being of a phleg- 
matic, sanguine, temperamental disposition, answered 
Moses and Aaron with an emphatic “No.” 

God told Moses and Aaron to hold their rod over 
the rivers and fresh waters, which they did, and at 
once they turned into blood and the fishes died and a 
terrible stench arose that caused pestilence. 

Pharaoh could tolerate this state of affairs no 
longer, so he entreated Moses to have mercy and ask 
his Lord to relieve them of this terrible pestilence, 


52 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


Moses, being forgiving, asked God to relieve tbe 
malignant condition of things. This God did, because 
He is merciful. Moses appealed again to Pharaoh that 
they might go out of the land of Egypt, but Pharaoh 
always answered him in the negative, and again the 
rod would be used, and a terrible pestilence, famine or 
plague would follow, and again Pharaoh would appeal 
for relief, and a short respite would again be granted. 

Things went on in this way until they had been 
pestered by frogs, fleas, locusts, hail storms, disease, 
boils, drouth and everything that God had in his great 
armamentarium of human sufferings. 

Egypt was in a terrible condition. The stock, both 
sheep and cattle, were nearly all killed, one third of 
the population had died, storms had played havoc 
with the buildings, hail and drouth and locusts had 
killed nearly every vestige of plant life in Egypt. 
They could see that the scourge of God was on them. 
Still their king would not permit the Hebrews, God’s 
chosen, to leave the land, though he could see that 
their God was truly with them. 

Pharaoh finally summoned Moses and Aaron before 
him and confessed to them that he had sinned, and 
that he was a sinner in the eyes of their Lord, and again 
petitioned Moses to ask his God to grant him clemency, 
and take the thorn out of Egypt’s side that had been 
thrust there now the seventh time. Again Moses 
prayed in Pharaoh’s behalf, and God once more took 
away the instrument of torture, which was darkness 
for three days and nights. God gave Pharaoh one 
more chance. Moses asked again if they could go out 
of Egypt, and also informed him of what the next 
punishment would be if he refused. Moses told him 
that the Lord of his fathers would send angels who 


THE HISTORY OP THE BIBLE 


53 


would smite tlie first born of every family in Egypt if 
he refused his request. The time set apart for this to 
be done was the tenth day of the first month of the 
year. And still the King answered “No !” 

God had told Moses to tell his people, as he had 
directed him, that when the angels came to slay the 
first born of each household, he wanted the faithful, 
who believed in him, to kill a lamb free from blemish, 
roast it, eat the meat and smear the blood of the lamb 
on the front door post, so that the angels would know 
by this sign when they passed down the streets to 
slay the victim of each family, that they were to pass 
over the home where they saw blood of the lamb, and 
not molest the inmates of that home. True to his 
word, the angels were sent and slew the first born of 
every family in Egypt that had not heeded the warning 
of Moses ; and those who had feared God and smeared 
the blood of the lamb on the door post, and had eaten 
the flesh of the lamb were spared. Even the first 
born of every beast that was owned by those who did 
not observe the words of this prophecy were slain as 
were the first born of each family. 

This was called the Pass-over lamb, which is cele- 
brated until this day by the Jews as the Feast of the 
Pass-over. 

This aroused Pharaoh, and he sent at night for 
Moses and Aaron, and informed them that they must 
leave the land of Egypt. He could plainly see the 
folly in trying to hold them. He could also see that 
Moses and Aaron and the Children of Israel had found 
favor in the eyes of their Lord. Pharaoh must have 
been convinced by this time that he and his God had 
not even the remotest chance of holding the children 
of Israel. He relinquished his power over them for 


54 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


a while, and let them take their horses, cattle, sheep, 
camels, and all of their property and families, and start 
on their way toward the Red Sea. As soon as they 
mobilized and started on their long march, God gave 
them a cloud by day to shield them from the Egyptians, 
and a pillar of light at night, that they might travel 
at night as well as by day. They marched to Succoth, 
where they met thousands of their flock. There were 
about six hundred thousand of them now congregated 
together, and God said unto Moses, “ Sanctify unto me 
all the first born; whatsoever openeth the womb of 
the children of Israel, both of man and beast, it is 
mine. ,, 

Moses consecrated to God the first born of man and 
of beast, as God had asked him to do, for God had 
taken the first born of so many families that his chosen 
might flee from their bondage, and he wanted them to 
remember this day each year, and to feast on this 
lamb of the Pass-over in commemoration of him and 
their deliverance from bondage. And Moses said unto 
the people, “Remember this day, the day that your 
Lord God delivered you from bondage. ” 

The month in the Ecclesiastical calendar that the 
children of Israel made their exodus out of the land of 
Egypt, was Abib, or April, and to keep this event 
sacred in the memory of millions yet unborn, and as 
a covenant between the Hebrews and the Lord, they 
were to eat unleavened bread seven days, and on the 
seventh day they were to eat a feast to the Lord. 

“Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days, and 
there shall be no leavened bread seen with thee in all 
thy quarters. And this shall be a memorial to thy 
Lord’s redeeming you with a strong hand from your 
bondage.” 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


55 


God wanted this memorial to exist sempiternally, 
in all his Hebrew children, and it has been observed 
until now, and no doubt will be until the end. 

Joseph’s bones were carried with them on their 
journey. His bones were too sacred to lay in the dust 
of polluted Egypt at this period; they were going to 
inter them in heavenly consecrated soil. The children 
of Israel, with Moses as their leader, were on their 
way to the land of promise, traveling, skirted with a 
cloud by day and a pillar of light by night, they went 
direct to the Red Sea and camped at Migdol over 
against Baalzephon. 

At this point there was no entrance into Arabia 
except by sea. They then encamped in a dangerous 
cul de sac, in case the Egyptians should follow them. 
They camped there for some time, I suppose, wonder- 
ing how they were going to manage to cross the Red 
Sea, for they had neither galley nor raft to ferry them 
to the other side. The Israelites all at once beheld 
Pharaoh in his royal chariot and his great host of 
soldiers advancing to slay them, and not let them out 
of the land alive. The children of Israel turned to 
Moses and reproached him for permitting this exodus, 
saying they would sooner have died under the lashes 
of the task-masters than to be placed in such a pre- 
dicament. Moses consoled them by telling them to 
have confidence in the God of their fathers, for He is 
the omniscient and omnipotent ruler of earth and 
heaven and all thereon and therein. 

Moses commanded that they stand still and see the 
salvation of the Lord. “The Egyptians that you now 
see you shall see no more.” And the Lord said unto 
Moses, as Pharaoh approached to slay them, “Lift 
thou up thy rod and stretch out thy hand over the 


56 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


Red Sea and divide it.” Moses obeyed, and the 
waters were divided and the Hebrews marched across 
the sea on its dry bottom. When they had reached 
the other side, and Pharaoh and his hosts were 
following them in the same dry road that God had 
made for his chosen, God spoke to Moses, saying: 
“Stretch out thy hand over the waters and cause 
the waters to come upon Pharaoh and his hosts.” Moses 
held out his heavenly empowered sceptre over the 
waters, and they flooded and drowned Pharaoh and 
his entire army. The Israelites could see the favorit- 
ism of the Lord and how he had shielded them from 
the army of Pharaoh by the intervention of his 
elements. And then they sang praises to the Lord, — 
“The Lord is my strength and song, and He has 
become my salvation. He is my God and I will prepare 
Him a habitation. ’ ’ 

“Who is like Thee, glorious in holiness, beautiful 
in praise.” 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


57 


CHAPTER II. 

Miriam, the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, with 
timbrels and in salient bandinage, sang her praises 
to the Lord. The children of Israel went rejoicing 
until they came to March, where they found the waters 
bitter. They reproved Moses for bringing them to a 
place where they could not have water. Moses cried 
unto the Lord and was prevailed upon by the Holy 
Spirit to place branches of a certain tree in the water, 
and it became sweet and palatable. They went on to 
the wilderness of sin, which is near Elim. Soon their 
food became exhausted, and there was not a morsel 
to be found in the country about them to sustain 
life. They again censured Moses, who prayed for 
food, and God sent them a shower of manna, which 
he continued to shower upon them from heaven for 
forty years after, until they had reached the other side 
of Jordan. 

Just out of the wilderness of sin there was no 
water, and the people again censured Moses. Moses 
struck the rock with his rod at Horab, and copious 
quantities of water exuded from the rock and their 
thirst was quenched. They continued on their holy 
pilgrimage until they came to the Holy Mountain, 
Mount Sinai. The Lord told Moses to have his people 
cleanse themselves and change their garments, and 
that he should sanctify them, but forbade that they 
should go on to the mountain itself, for it was sacred 
ground. God also told them that whoever touched 
this mountain would surely be put to death. 


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On the third day Moses returned to his people, 
after having been in communication with the Lord. 
Moses brought forth the people and told them they 
could see the Lord. In a moment, when he had 
arranged the people before the mountain, the Lord 
descended on the mountain in the form of fire and 
smoke. The whole mount shook, and a loud voice 
spoke unto the people, louder and louder the voice 
continued. Moses spoke and the Lord answered him, 
and the Lord came down on Sinai, and called Moses 
up to the top of Mount Sinai, and he went up and 
talked with God, and God sent Moses to the people 
to tell them not to venture upon the mountain, and 
God also told Moses to bring his brother Aaron with 
him when he returned, and these are the words that 
God spoke unto Moses while on the mount: 

“I am the Lord thy God, who hath brought thee 
out of the land of Egypt and out of the house of 
bondage. 

“Thou shalt have no other Gods before me. 

“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, 
nor any likeness of anything that is in heaven above 
or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water 
under the earth. 

“Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them nor 
serve them, for I thy God am a jealous God, visiting 
the iniquities of the fathers upon the children, unto 
the third and fourth generation of them that hate 
me, and showing mercy unto thousands of them that 
love me and keep my commandments. 

“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy 
God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless 
that taketh his name in vain. 


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59 


* 'Remember the Sabbath day to keep it Holy. Six 
days shalt thou labor and do all that thou hast to do, 
but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy 
God, and in it thou shalt do no manner of work, thou 
nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor 
thy maid-servant, nor thy ox, nor thy ass, nor any 
of thy cattle, nor the stranger that is within thy gates, 
for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the 
sea and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day ; 
wherefore, the Lord blessed the seventh day and hal- 
lowed it. 

“Honor thy father and thy mother that thy days 
may be long in the land that the Lord thy God giveth 
thee. 

“Thou shalt not kill. 

“Thou shalt not commit adultery. 

“Thou shalt not steal. 

“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy 

neighbor. 

‘ ‘ Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor ’s house, nor his 
wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor 
his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neigh- 
bor's.” 

God also told Moses that he should make an altar 
unto him, and should sacrifice sheep and oxen as 
burnt offerings unto him, and that there should be 
no steps leading to the altar. 

And the following are some of the old Mosaic laws : 

“Thou shalt give a life for a life, an eye for an 
eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for 
a foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe 
for stripe.” 

The Lord asked Moses to come up on the Mount 


60 


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again and this time to bring Aaron Nadab Abibu 
and seventy of the elders, and Moses alone conld 
come near unto the Lord. 

Before Moses went onto the Mount this time, he 
made a book of the covenant of the word of God 
that he had got from God on the Mount, and when 
Moses had reached the apex of the holy mount he saw 
God on a throne of sapphire, and God gave Moses 
tablets of stone, and God wrote with his finger the 
law upon these tablets of stone, and God told Moses 
to make an ark and tabernacle for the law that was 
written on these stones, and directed him how they 
were to be made. And God told Moses to make 
Aaron, his brother, the priest or Levite, and to make 
holy garments for him, and Aaron was ordained by 
the Lord, and he was the first priest, the father of 
Levites or priests. 

Darkness had settled over the mountains for forty 
days, and the people were becoming restless and in- 
sisted on worshipping God, and Aaron (being more 
or less pusillanimous) gave in to them, and became 
an apostate renegade to the old cause for a short 
time. He took the jewelry from all of the people 
and made a golden calf, and they were worshipping 
this calf when the Lord sent Moses down with the 
tablets of stone. He saw them worshipping the calf, 
and his anger waxed hot, and he cast the tablets out 
of his hand and broke them, and took the calf and 
burned it and took the powder and cast it into water 
and made them drink it. Moses gathered the sons 
of Levi together and slew the rest, for they had 
sinned against their Lord. 

Moses went again onto the mount with two tab- 
lets of stone, and the Lord wrote again the command- 


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61 


merits upon these tablets, and when Moses returned 
with the tablets to his people with the writing of the 
covenant and the commandments, Aaron and his 
people were afraid of him, for his face was reful- 
gent with fire, and they were in fear of him. Moses 
called to Aaron, and Aaron and the people came 
unto him, and Moses told them that these were the 
words of the Lord’s behests, and they must abide by 
them. Aaron had lost favor with the Lord, and the 
Lord caused his death. 

Joshua was the favorite of both Moses and the 
Lord. Moses decided that he could trust his flock 
with Joshua better and with greater safety than any 
other one that left Egypt with them. So he was ap- 
pointed as their guardian and general to lead them on 
into the promised land on the plains of Jordan. 

Moses was the man of God, whom we are com- 
pelled to look upon as the first law-giver, and the 
great jurist who found favor in the sight of the Lord. 
Think of his self sacrifice, self abnegation, his labor- 
ing to promulgate the precepts of God, his leadership 
as a general, and as a man among men, for he was 
surely loved by the Lord. He was face to face with 
God, but now this man of God was nearly through 
with life’s troublesome pilgrimage. He once more, 
for the last call, answered God’s summons for him 
to come up onto Mount Horib. He took one long look at 
the plain toward Jordan. Tears must have come to 
his eyes, for he knew that God chose him to see the 
promised land, but only to see it, for he was now go- 
ing to have his soul and body, for he loved him, but 
could not let him go into the promised land for the 
few sins he had committed. Moses gave one look at 
the plain below him, at the land that was to be the 


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THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 

home of those to whom he had so willingly consecrated 
his life, to supplement God’s will in germinating the 
stem that grew into so many fecund branches, and 
from all these sprang David and Jesus Christ. The 
cloud came and this was his shroud, and also his bier; 
ten thousand angels were his pallbearers. God him- 
self was perhaps the one who eulogized over his 
slowly ascending body. The angels sang their 
hymns as he was taken to his tomb. The bosom of 
God opened as his sepulchre and received him and 
bore him on to heaven, and no man knows of his 
sepulchre until this day. 

Aaron, brother to the man of God, 

The initial Priest to the promised nation; 

He delivered the Almighty’s precepts with his rod, 
Before the ark and tabernacle of the congregation. 

He was ordained by God alone, in splendor, 

He was the first of Levites, Priests we call, 

He was the fecund root that did engender, 

Of Priests and Prelates, the father of them all. 


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THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


CHAPTER III. 

“In the land of Moab our tents are pitched. Oh, 
blessed land. Even unto the waters they sing, Spring 
up, Oh well, sing ye unto it.” 

Much perturbed over the people on this side of 
Jordan in the land of Moab, Balak, the King, son of 
Zippor, despatched Baalam to set up altars and ask 
God to curse his own people. God did not want 
Baalam to go, and sent his angel ahead of him, and in 
narrow places the angel would frighten his ass, and he 
would whip the ass, and the ass spoke to him and 
asked him why he whipped him. And Baalam went 
on from place to place and built altars in several dif- 
ferent places and made burnt offerings. 

God came to Baalam and said, “Bless Israel, do not 
curse, and Baalam did as the Lord had commanded. 
Balak could see Baalam had blessed them instead of 
cursing them on these several different high places of 
altars, the last being on Mount Peor, near Jeshimon. 

It has now been forty years since the departure 
of the children of Israel from Egypt. Joshua was, 
by virtue of his godly merit, in command. His name 
was Hoshea or Salvation, but was changed to Joshua, 
which means Jesus or Saviour, and true to his name, 
he saved the Israelites. 

They were encamped on the east side of the Jordan, 
having fought their way and won so far, but now 
they were to cross the river. It was in the month of 
April; the priests were commanded to carry the ark 
into the middle of the river. As soon as the soles of 


64 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


the feet of the priest touched the water, the river 
above stood as a wall; the bed of the Jordan was 
dry and this enabled them to pass through the river 
onto the other side. They rejoiced and built an al- 
tar at Gilgal. Twelve stones were placed in the riv- 
er as stepping stones to cross on; these twelve stones 
were to represent the twelve chiefs of the tribes; they 
were the stones used in the altar at Gilgal. Balak had 
at last succeeded in his iconadual act of having altars 
built to the Gods. In a very short time it caused the 
Israelites to digress and become corrupt. The Levites 
or Priests were ordered to slay every one who had 
been joined into Bool Peor. 

The plague also took away twenty-four thousand 
of them. This was the punishment that was meted 
out to the Israelites and the Moabites for worshipping 
false gods. Balak and Baalam were the original in- 
stigators of their unfaithfulness, and the propaga- 
tors or interpolaters of the pagan form of worship 
among the people. 

But God heard the prayers of the few in the flock 
of his chosen, who had remained steadfast, and had 
not been seduced by apostles proselyting for pagan 
gods. 

God’s angels were on the mercy seat of the ark 
of the covenant to guide them. In the valley he con- 
doled them; on the peak he condemned them. Caleb 
and Joshua were the only ones among them who were 
at the first feast of the pass-over in Egypt. They had 
then reached the land of milk and honey. They cele- 
brated the feast of the pass-over, they ate corn in- 
stead of manna, and drank the sweet waters of the 
plains of Jordan. But they were still to have con- 
quest after conquest, on their invasion into this valley 


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65 


after Joshua crossed the Jordan where God parted the 
waters to let them through. 

The first city to greet their eyes was Jericho, a 
garrison, strongly fortified city, which was full of 
iniquity and sin. Their worship was idolatrous. 
They were to destroy everything in this city except 
silver, bronze and other metals. They charged the 
walls and bombarded them, still no archer bent his 
bow, nor spear nor javelin was there cast, nor arm 
was stretched to reduce the wall. The ark was the 
only weapon used. They marched seven times around 
the city of Canaanites, and this was done for seven 
days. On the seventh day the walls crumbled to dust. 
The inhabitants were all massacred, but Rahab, the 
harlot, was saved by Joshua, for she had secreted the 
spies which had been sent by the Israelites to spy out 
Jericho. 

The battle of Beth-horon was soon to be fought. 
The people of the city of Gibeon were congregated 
together on the field. They were much afraid of the 
Israelites, for they must have known they had the 
help and support of the Lord. They were made 
servants to the Israelites, for they appealed to them 
not to destroy them. But this enraged the Amorites, 
to know that they had made themselves slaves and 
subservient to the Hebrews. They invaded their ter- 
ritory, and sent them word that they would slay them 
for this act, but Joshua came quickly to their rescue 
and protected them. Joshua, with his hosts, went over 
the mountains to the Amorites, and as he was cross- 
ing the divide, the several kings of the tribes of the 
Amorites saw his great force advancing, and they 
knew that God was with Joshua, and they at once fled 
down the mountain side, and in this valley, on rocky 


66 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


ravines and terrible passes, with hail descending upon 
them and the winds and waters raging, thousands were 
carried away. 

Joshua’s army was in hot pursuit of the Amorites; 
the day was dying, and J oshua saw that the day would 
not be long enough to annihilate the entire army, so 
he prayed to God to let the sun stand still for a time, 
and the shining moon throw its light on the valley of 
Aglon that he might despatch them all to eternity. 
The Lord granted Joshua’s prayer. The sun was made 
to stand still for the first time, for there never was a 
day like this before, the day of the battle of Gibeon. 

Now, Joshua divided the lands, and let his people 
go unto their inheritance. And Joshua, the son of 
Nun, died and they buried him in Timnath-Serah, 
which is Mount Ephraim, near the hill of Gaash. 

Israel had sinned for many years after the death of 
Joshua, and the tribes of Simeon and Judah had fallen 
into insignificance in the eyes of the Lord, and it came 
to pass that Israel was judged by a woman whose 
name was Deborah, a prophetess, and she dwelt under 
a palm tree near Bethel. She commanded Barak, the 
son of Abinoam, to gather his army of ten thousand 
men of the children of Zebulum and of Naphtali, and to 
encamp near Mount Tabor, and said that she would 
draw unto them Sisera, the captain of Jabuis army. 
He promised to go, though Barak said “I want you to 
go with me.” She said, “But if I go, it will take your 
glory from you, for Sisera ’s life I have sold into the 
hands of a woman; however, I will go with you.” 

Barak, with his army, went down from Mount 
Tabor. Sisera had escaped and had crossed the coun- 
try, and his mother was waiting for him in great sus- 
pense, but he never returned to his mother’s home 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


67 


again. He sought refuge and rest in a tent, the tent 
of Heber. Jael, his wife, who was a beautiful woman, 
saw Sisera coming, and she bowed complacently to 
him and offered him shelter and food in her tent. 
He at once accepted of her hospitality, and said he was 
very tired from his siege in battle, and expressed his 
desire for a drink. Jael gave him a soothing draught, 
which acted as a narcotic, causing Sisera to go to 
sleep on the floor of the tent. 

Jael was a Kenite, and the Kenites were at peace 
with Jabin, so Sisera did not think of his life being in 
jeopardy in this tent, for Heber was the chief of the 
tribe. Although they were at peace with Jabin, they 
were of the Hebrew blood, for Moses married a Kenite, 
as did Abraham. 

One can imagine Jael’s feelings as she looked down 
upon the captain that had tried to destroy and op- 
press her people. Although Israel had not remained 
steadfast to God, there was a nucleus of godly love in 
them still. 

In a moment Jael has an idea, and it was to dis- 
patch Sisera, as he was sleeping. She grasped a tent 
peg and mallet, and thrust it with full force through 
his head, and nailed him to the earth, which fulfilled 
the prophecy that he would be “delivered into the 
hands of a woman.” 

Barak was looking for Sisera, to make sure he was 
either dead or escaped. He examined the counte- 
nances of each and all who had fallen in battle, but 
failed to find Sisera. While searching the desert he 
came near the tent of the Kenite. Jael saw him ap- 
proaching, and rising gracefully, threw aside the cur- 
tain of the tent and said to Barak: “Come in, and I 
will show you the one you are seeking.” So on this 


68 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


day God and a woman had subdued Jobin, the King 
of the land of Canaan, before the children of Israel, 
and Deborah was inspired to write and sing a song of 
triumph : 

“Praise ye the Lord for the avenging of Israel ! Hear 
0, ye Kings, give ear, 0, ye princes! aye, even I will 
sing unto the Lord. I will sing praises to the Lord God 
of Israel.” 

“Bless ye the Lord, awake, awake, Deborah, 
awake, awake and utter a song, arise Barak and lead 
thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam. The stars 
in their turn fought against Sisera. The river of Kis- 
hon swept them away, the ancient river. So let all 
thine enemies perish, 0 Lord. But let them that love 
him be as the son when he goeth forth in his might.” 

Now, it came to pass that the children of Israel 
were oppressed by the Midianites, and they cried unto 
the Lord for his help. Gideon, the prophet, was 
threshing wheat by the wine-press, to hide it from the 
Midianites, and an angel appeared unto him and told 
him he was a man of great valor, and to go in his might 
and save Israel; and Gideon said: “How can I save 
Israel? I am but a poor man. But if I have found 
grace in thy sight, show me a sign that I may know 
who talks with me.” Gideon went in and made ready 
a kid and made unleavened bread and laid it upon a 
rock, and the angel touched the bread and the flesh, 
and fire rose up out of the rock, and Gideon perceived 
that he had seen an angel of the Lord face to face, 
and he built an altar there that was called Jehovah 
Sholom, and until this day it is in Oplirah. And the 
Lord told him to destroy the altars of Baal, and cut 
the trees of the forest about the altars, and build an 
altar to the Lord upon this rock, and offer a burnt 


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69 


offering of his father’s bullock upon this altar. Gideon 
did all of this at night, and the people in the morning 
rose and saw what Gideon the son of Jaasli had done, 
and they were vexed at his desecration of their altars 
to the son of God, but they were powerless to kill 
Gideon. So the Midianites went and fetched their 
tents in the valley of Jezreel. 

The Lord promised Gideon that he would have him 
save Israel. Gideon wanted proof of God’s support, 
and asked him saying: “I will lay a fleece on the 
floor, and if the dew is on the fleece in the morning and 
the floor about the fleece is dry and also the ground, 
I will know that thou wilt save Israel by my hand.” 
The fleece was so damp in the morning he wrung water 
from it that had gathered into the wool during the 
night, and the earth and the floor about the fleece were 
dry. Gideon asked God to reverse the act by the 
fleece remaining dry and the ground about the fleece 
being saturated with dew. God did as Gideon had 
asked, and the following morning the fleece was dry 
and the ground wet. 

The Lord had Gideon reduce his army to three hun- 
dred men, as he knew the army would be apt to vaunt 
him if he succeeded in battle. God informed him that 
the way to conquer his enemies was to use lanterns 
in pitchers, and a trumpet in every soldier’s hand. 

Gideon did as God bade him to do in this matter. 
He appeared before the enemy and broke the pitchers, 
and this exposed the lights of so many lanterns in a 
flash, and also the blowing of the trumpets frightened 
them and they broke their ranks and fled in all direc- 
tions in utter defeat, and Israel was once more saved 
by the Lord’s willing guidance. 


70 THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


CHAPTER IV. 

JEPHTHAH. 

Jephthah, the Gileadite, was the son of a harlot, 
for which he was cast out of his home and went into 
the land of Tob. In the course of time the Ammorites 
made war against Israel. The elders of Gilead sent 
for Jephthah, and he took command of the forces, and 
before the battle was fought he asked for God’s help 
to overthrow the Ammorites. He promised the Lord 
that if he should win the battle, he would make a sac- 
rifice by burning the first thing that met him at the 
gate of his home on his return after the battle. 

He met the enemy in battle and defeated them, and 
went on his way home in triumph. As he arrived at 
his home, the first to greet him was his daughter. On 
beholding her, his promise to his God came to him 
like an avalanche from heaven. She kissed and 
caressed and eulogized her father on his triumph. 
Jephthah rent his clothes in agonizing screams, in- 
stead of rejoicing with his only child. He told her 
of his promise to God and said: “Thou are the one 
that troubleth me.” Jephthah knew in his heart that 
he could not rescind his promise to his God, for this 
was a custom in Israel, and a promise of this character 
had to be fulfilled. The daughter seemed to realize at 
once what her father had done, and said to him: “If 
thou hast opened thy mouth unto the Lord, do to me 
according to that which hath proceeded out of thy 
mouth. Let it be done! Leave me alone for two 


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71 


months, and I will leave Mizpah and go far upon the 
mountains that I may bewail my virginity.” She went 
her way onto the mountains, and in two months she 
returned, true to her word, and gave herself up to be 
burned as a sacrifice of promise, and the daughters of 
Israel went yearly to lament the noble ending of the 
daughter who gave her sweet, tender life as a pledge 
for her father’s promise. 


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CHAPTER V. 

SAMSON. 

Samson, the son of Manoah, was a living Hercules. 
As you pass between Jaffa and Jerusalem on the rail- 
road across the Plains of Sharon or the Valley of 
Roses, you can plainly see Samson’s cave, where he 
had dwelt in this Saxatile home for many days. Sam- 
son journeyed into Timmath, which is in the land of 
the Philistines, and took a wife to himself of these 
enemies of the Israelites. On his way to Timmath he 
was attacked by a lion, and he slew it with his bare 
hands. On his return, he asked his wife to expound 
a riddle to the many around him. In the carcass of 
the lion he had killed he had found honey and had 
eaten of it, and he gave the riddle on a wager, that 
if they could not guess they were to forfeit many gar- 
ments and if they guessed the riddle, he was to forfeit 
many garments. The riddle was: 

“Out of the eater came forth meat, 

Out of the strong came forth sweet.” 

They could not expound the riddle, and they en- 
ticed his wife to threaten him if he would not explain 
the meaning of the riddle before seven days were past, 
for at the end of seven days there was to be a feast. 

Samson decided to tell his wife, as she had made 
it very unpleasant for him by continually tormenting 
him. At the end of the seven days the children of the 
Philistines said to him: 

“What is stronger than a lion, and what is sweeter 
than honey?” 

Samson said, “If you had not plowed with my 


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73 


heifer, you would not have known.’ ’ And Samson 
went down into Ashkelon and slew thirty men and 
took their garments and gave them to those who 
thought they had guessed the riddle, and this expound- 
ed the riddle. 

Samson was greatly enraged when he went to the 
house of his father-in-law and asked for his wife and 
was refused her. He then went out into the wilder- 
ness and caught three hundred foxes, and tied fire- 
brands to their tails, and let them loose in the stand- 
ing corn of the Philistines. Many acres of grain were 
burned, and the Philistines were so wrought up over 
their loss, that they swore vengeance. They laid the 
blame on Samson’s wife’s family, for they knew the 
father-in-law of Samson had given his daughter to 
another man. They went and burned his house while 
Samson’s wife and her father were therein. This 
aroused Samson’s malevolent will, and he smote them 
all that were instrumental in burning his wife and her 
father. 

Samson went from there and dwelt in the cave 
of Etam, in the rock that is in view of the railroad 
between Jaffa and Jerusalem. The Philistines came 
to Judah to bind Samson and take him prisoner. They 
took him away and bound him with new ropes and he 
broke them. They continued with him unto Lehi, which 
is of the Philistines. They shouted against him when 
he was brought unto Lehi, and he took the jawbone 
of an ass and slew a thousand men. 

Samson went into Gaza, and they imprisoned him 
in the city, and were about to kill him, but Samson 
carried the gates of the city away. The people were 
astonished at this superhuman strength, and Delilah, 
a lady of the valley of Sarek, asked him wherein his 


74 


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power lay, and he misrepresented to her several times, 
and finally he told her wherein lay his great strength. 
He told her that there had never been a razor upon 
his head. “I have been a Nazarite unto God from 
my mother’s womb. If my hair be shaven off, my 
strength will leave me.” 

Delilah at once took him on her knees and caused 
him to sleep, and she called the Philistines and they 
cut off seven locks of his hair, and his strength left 
him at once. The Philistines could see their opportun- 
ity to avenge themselves for the wrong he had done 
them, and they put out his eyes and brought him to 
Gaza and fettered him with brass and put him to 
grinding in the prison house. At this time his hair 
had begun to grow again, while he was serving the 
term imposed on him. 

The lords of the Philistines gathered together to 
partake of a feast and to make a sacrifice to their 
God Dagon, for they thought the God Dagon had de- 
livered Samson into their hands. When they were re- 
joicing and commending their Lord and throwing out 
imprecations on the name of Samson, they sent for 
him that he might grace the triumph of his capture and 
captivity. He was brought before them, and while 
being led in he asked a boy to lead him between two 
pillars. This was done, and Samson prayed to God to 
give him strength that he might avenge himself and 
punish the lords of the Philistines for taking his eye- 
sight. God heard his prayers, and he at once gave a 
lurch against the two pillars and the whole temple 
came down upon them, killing the lords and ladies, 
and Samson was crushed with them. 

Thus ended the most potent of human beings ever 
known to man. 


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75 


CHAPTER VI. 

RUTH. 

Now, in the days when judges were rulers, there 
came a famine in the land. There was a man by the 
name of Elemelech, of Bethlehem of Judea. He went 
and sojourned in Moab, and his wife’s name was Na- 
omi, and they had two sons, Mahlon and Chilion. Soon 
after they moved to Moab, Elemelech died, and the 
sons of Naomi married in the land of Moab. The 
names of their wives were Ruth and Orpah, and they 
dwelt in Moab ten years. After a time both of Naomi’s 
sons died, leaving Ruth and Orpah widows. Naomi 
and her two daughters-in-law were very poor. Ruth 
and Naomi were about to leave the land of Moab for 
Judea. The famine did not extend to the land of 
Judea, for the Lord had given his people bread. Or- 
pah would not go ; she felt bound to stay by her Gods, 
but Ruth was a tender, sweetly disposed woman. When 
Naomi said she was going, Ruth said to her, “Entreat 
me not to leave thee or to return from following after 
thee, for whither thou goest I will go, and where thou 
lodgest I will lodge, and thy people shall be my people, 
and thy God shall be my God ! Where thou diest will 
I die; only death can part us.” 

How few daughters-in-law have the love for their 
mothers-in-law that Ruth had for hers! It goes to 
show how true this woman was at heart who was des- 
tined to become the great-great-grandmother of David, 
King of Israel. 


76 


THE HISTORY OP THE BIBLE 


When they arrived in Bethlehem, it was during bar- 
ley harvest, and Naomi had a kinsman there of her 
husband’s family, whose name was Boaz, and he was 
very rich. Ruth asked Naomi if she could go to the 
field of Boaz and glean the grain after Boaz, so that 
she might find favor in his sight, for her physical grace 
was perfection personified. Naomi told her to go. As 
she was at work, Boaz asked his men servants who the 
beautiful woman was. He was informed, and he at 
once approached her and told her she might go to the 
field and nothing should harm her, for he had told 
his men that she must be protected in every way. She 
asked Boaz why she had found favor in his sight, and 
he said it was because she had proven her true spirit 
of loyalty by doing as she had toward Naomi since the 
death of her husband. Also saying, “And now you 
have forsaken your father and your mother, your home 
and your Gods, and the land of your nativity for 
another land, and now the Lord God of Israel will re- 
compense you for your godly spirit that you have so 
sweetly manifested. ’ ’ 

After they had eaten together, Boaz instructed his 
men to drop ears of corn and to let her glean from 
the sheaves, “and reproach her not.” Also saying, 
“Let some of the handfuls fall on the ground for her, 
and rebuke her not.” In the evening she had gleaned 
an ephrah of barley, and she went home to her mother- 
in-law and gave it to her. In due time Ruth and Boaz 
were married, and the many witnesses that were pres- 
ent said unto them: “Let the Lord make thy house 
like Rachael and Leah, ’ ’ which two did build the house 
of Israel. “And let thy house be like the house of 
Pharez whom Tamar bore unto Judah of the seed 
which the Lord shall give thee of this young woman ! ’ * 



RUTH GLEANING 

















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77 


Ruth bore a son to Boaz, and his name was Obed, 
and Naomi took the son unto her bosom and was its 
nurse. The neighbors named him and said he would be 
the father of Jesse and of David. 

Joshua could see good in even a harlot, as he did 
Rahab when he crushed Jericho. He saved Rahab for 
secreting his spies, but he must have discovered other 
redeeming features in her, for though she was concu- 
pising in her demeanor, it was as Shakespeare said, 
4 ‘There are songs in brooks, sermons in stones, and 
good in everything, ” and Rahab became the wife of 
Salmon, and Salmon begat Boaz, who was to be the 
great-grandfather of the second King of Israel, David. 


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CHAPTER VII. 

THE BIRTH OF THE PROPHET SAMUEL. 

Hannah, the wife of Elkanah, was effete and could 
not bear a child for many years. Elkanah had another 
wife, who had borne him many children, and this caused 
Hannah to mourn exceedingly. Hannah’s day was 
still to come, and it was not far hence. She bore a 
son with God’s help, for she had petitioned him to give 
her a male child, which the Lord did, and his name was 
Samuel. This gave her great pleasure, for she prof- 
fered thanks to the Lord, saying: “I rejoice in my 
salvation. There are none as holy as the Lord, for 
there are none besides thee. Neither is there any rock 
like our God. Be no longer proud, let not arrogance 
come out of thy mouth. They that have been full have 
hired themselves out for bread, and they that were 
hungry ceased, so that the barren has borne seven, 
and she that hath many children is waxed feeble. The 
Lord maketh poor and maketh rich. He bringetli low 
and lifteth high. He maketh the poor a prince to in- 
herit the throne of glory, for the pillars of the earth 
are the Lord’s, and he setteth the world upon them. 
He will keep the feet of his saints and the wicked shall 
be silent in darkness, for by strength no man pre- 
vailed! The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken 
to pieces, out of heaven shall be thunder upon them. 
The Lord shall judge the ends of the earth, and he 
shall give strength unto the King and exalt the horn 
of his anointed. ’ * 


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The entire nation at this time was a nation of 
idolators with the exception of a few. God always 
leaves a few good people, for a few good people can 
change by their proselyting great multitudes, for God's 
hand is always with the righteous. 

Samuel, the great prophet, came into his earthly 
nativity at this time. The predominating power at 
this time was with the Philistines. They had the Israel- 
ites under their despotic will, and forced many of 
them to fight in their battles on their side. They even 
had control of the commerce of the Israelites, for they 
were not allowed to manufacture any iron instruments 
of war. Samuel was the first great prophet since 
Moses, four hundred and fifty years from this time. 
Samuel was a man something after Christ’s make up; 
he was both human and divine. 

He marched over much of the country in his en- 
deavor to bring the repentant to God. He even estab- 
lished schools for the propagation of the old zealot or 
Mosaic faith. In time Samuel could see the fruit of 
his efforts, for at Mizpah he had gathered together a 
great congregation which he had taught to fear God, 
and they were so devout in their belief and in their 
leader, that the Philistines undertook to drive them 
from the place, but they were desperate and fought 
and routed the Philistines. 

Israel had never had a king, and now the people de- 
manded one, and there was no one better fitted to hold 
the place than Saul, for he was a Paladin in his make 
up. He was tall, handsome, and had an imposing, mili- 
tary deportment and carriage that few had; he was 
kind and gentle at times, and was also of a pugnacious 
spirit. Jonathan, his son, was more gentle; although 
he and his father were great Mends, they were seh 


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dom separated from each other. Jonathan was an ex- 
pert with the weapons of warfare of the day, and was 
the one who taught David to use the bow. Samuel 
was the one who was to choose the King of Israel, and 
he chose Saul, and Samuel anointed him. But Saul 
was only king in name, for he had no court, army or 
kingdom, although he had a strong will and good pros- 
pects. His first battle was with Nahash, King of the 
Ammonites, who had threatened Jabesh-Gilead. Na- 
hash sent Saul word that he would destroy the sight of 
the right eye of every one of their men if help did 
not come in seven days. Saul at once commanded his 
tribes under penalty of death to help him. They an- 
swered his call to arms, and routed the enemy in a 
short time. 

Now they could see Saul’s merit as a field mar- 
shal as well as king, and they rallied around his ban- 
ner from then on. 

The Philistines were his next foes to subdue, but 
this was not an easy task, for they had a formidable 
army to encounter, though nothing would daunt or 
beguile Saul into timidity or cowardice. The Philistines 
were on a mountain or hill near Michmash. This they 
thought was invulnerable to an attack by the army 
of Saul. Saul had two thousand men, but only he and 
his son Jonathan had spears and shields. The battle 
was in vogue. Saul’s men were melting away fast; 
he became worried, and he knew there was but one 
thing to do, and that was to appeal to God, for they 
were beyond the aid of man, as his army had not the 
munitions to fight with. 

In a few days the battle was so severe he himself 
offered a sacrifice to God. Samuel saw this, and ap- 
proached him as he was praying for help. There was 


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81 


no soul to his prayer, for God knew he did not feel 
that which he outwardly manifested by kneeling to the 
altar. God deserted him, and Samuel reproached him 
for his disloyal spirit toward God, which was the most 
detrimental to a king or nation, especially to a king 
of Israel, for a king of God’s chosen must be one who 
is God-fearing. 

Saul, now broken in spirit since Samuel had re- 
proached him, left those parts with a few of his troops 
who still had faith in him. He encamped at Gibeah. 
But Jonathan was not so quick to retreat; he and his 
armor-bearer charged the enemy when they were not 
expecting any disturbance. At the point of Jonathan’s 
advance, there was a hill, and as he climbed over the 
hill he came onto the outposts of the Philistine army; 
he at once fired his arrows at them and killed twenty 
men. They thought that Jonathan was merely the ad- 
vance guard, and that his army was following him, but 
this was not so. Jonathan ceased using the bow and 
arrows, and commenced using the sling, which he was 
an expert with, and he at once caused a panic among 
the Philistines and they broke their ranks and fled 
in utter dismay and defeat. 

Saul on a mountain could see what his noble son 
had done, and he rushed with his men to slay the con- 
fused army. The Israelites who were fighting with 
the Philistines, hid in caves and rocks, and after the 
battle joined Saul’s army, and in a short time his force 
had swollen from six hundred to ten thousand men. 
Once more Israel was free ! They now had a king, an 
army and arms as well, and could forge their own 
plow-shares or swords as they wished. Songs of praise 
were sung to the king and for Israel, for the Israelites 
were terribly treated by the enemy, for they prior to 


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this time had taken the most sacred thing from their 
camp and desecrated it by placing it in the temple of 
Dagon. This was the ark of the covenant, with the 
law and tablets of the commandments, and the seven 
branched gold candelabra, that Moses had been told 
to make by the Lord on the mount. 

The ark that they had secreted in the temple of 
Dagon at Ashdoc was not blessing them, for the sculp- 
tured God of Dagon had fallen three times and broken 
without man’s hand touching it, and when the Philis- 
tines saw this, they were sore afraid of the ark, of 
the God of Israel, and they carried the ark unto Gath. 
The Lord slew the people of Gath, and they took the 
ark on to Ekron, and they were afraid, and they called 
the priests of the Philistines together and decided to 
send the ark out of their midst unto the Israelites. They 
made a new cart and placed the ark upon the cart, 
and a peace offering in the ark of seven gold mice and 
seven gold emerods. They yoked two new milch kine 
to the cart, and took the calves away from their moth- 
ers, and started them away without a driver, and they 
followed the road to Bethshemesh, and the people of 
Bethshemesh looked into the ark and the Lord smote 
fifty thousand of them for so doing. The people were 
reaping their wheat as they looked and beheld the 
ark. The ark came on into the field of Joshua, Beth- 
shemesh, and stood where there was a great stone, 
which was the stone of Abel, which is there until this 
day. 

The Levites took the ark and offered burnt offer- 
ings to God for the return of the ark, their most sacred 
relic. 

The Amalekites, who were commanded by Agag, 
were troubling the tribes of Judah and Simeon. Agag 


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83 


had killed many of the children of Israel, and Saul 
defeated him, and after he had defeated him he plun- 
dered his cities, and this angered the Lord against 
Saul, for his purloining the goods of the enemy. Sam- 
uel had warned him, hut it was of no avail. Samuel 
informed Saul that God had told him that he had re- 
jected his word, and now the Lord would reject him as 
King of Israel. And this was the last Saul ever saw 
of Samuel until the day of his death. As Samuel 
turned to go, he rent his garments by placing his hand 
upon them and said, “The Lord has rent the kingdom 
from thee this day, and has given it to a neighbor.” 

The Lord said to Samuel, “Mourn no longer for 
Saul. Fill thine horn with oil and go to Jesse the 
Bethlehemite, for I have provided me a king among 
his sons.” And Samuel went and sanctified the sons 
of Jesse and asked for all of them. Eliab, the oldest, 
was the first he looked upon, and Samuel thought, of 
course, he would be the Lord’s anointed, but the Lord 
said unto Samuel, “Look not on the countenance or 
on the height of his stature, because I have refused 
him, for the Lord seeth not as man seeth, for man 
looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord look- 
eth on the heart.” 

Then Jesse called Abinadab, and he was not chosen, 
and then Shammah, and the rest of those whom Sam- 
uel had seen which were seven, and they were refused 
by the Lord; and now Samuel asked Jesse, saying: 
“Are there any more of your children about?” Jesse 
said: “There reraaineth yet the youngest, and behold, 
he keepeth the sheep.” “Send for him,” replied Sam- 
uel. David was brought before Samuel. David was a 
beautiful boy, with fair skin and large bright eyes. 
Samuel at once anointed him, and apprised him of the 


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fortune in store for him, and the spirit of the Lord was 
to be with him from that day forward. 

Before proceeding further, I must speak of David 
as a hoy in Saul’s court. David was of the tribe of 
Judah. He was a sweet singer, and a player of the 
harp, as well as a hoy of courage and prowess. He 
was summoned to the court of Saul to sing and play for 
Saul, the King. Saul at that time was suffering from 
a form of dementia or melancholia, and music had a 
quieting influence upon him. After a time the music 
ceased to soothe Saul, hut had the opposite effect upon 
him. One day, as David was playing his harp for Saul, 
he threw his spear at David, which went amiss, as 
David dodged the weapon. Saul was jealous of David, 
for he knew in his own heart that he was already chos- 
en by the Lord to succeed him as king. Jonathan, 
Saul’s son, tried to persuade his father that David was 
his friend, but this was futile. 

Jonathan had a sweet disposition; he loved David 
and they used to shoot at marks and go hunting to- 
gether. Many times after this Saul sought David’s 
life, until he was compelled to seek refuge in the 
home of Samuel, the prophet. Even there he was not 
safe. He went from there to Achish, the king of the 
Philistines. He was obliged to feign insanity or he 
would have been slain, for the Philistines were their 
enemies. From there he went into Judea and hid in 
the Cave of Adullam. 

It was during this time that David wrote many 
of the psalms. The 67th and 11th were written at 
Ramah when he was with Samuel. The 54th was writ- 
ten when he pretended he was insane at Achish. The 
57th and 142nd were written when he was at the cave 
of Adullam. 


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85 


While David was at this cave six hundred men 
gathered about his standard. Kulah was rescued from 
the Philistines while David was there, for Kulah is 
near the cave. 

David’s life at this time was elusive, erratic and 
vacillating, on account of Saul trying to kill him. 
David made his place of refuge after he had left the 
cave at the Cliffs of Engedi, near the Dead Sea. The 
surrounding country is a rough wilderness, and the 
precipices that separate the oasis from the cliffs are 
so steep and hard to pass that gazelles and goats are 
the only animals that descend to the water beneath 
them. It was in this sequestered spot that David hid 
from Saul. But even there Saul wandered in pursuit of 
him, and entered one of the caves of the rocks. David 
saw him as he was entering, and remained quiet in 
the darkest part of the cave; after a while Saul fell 
asleep on the stone underneath him. God had deliv- 
ered Saul into David’s hands. David was too loyal 
to his old friend and king to kill him, although he 
could have slain him without difficulty. Instead of 
killing him, he cut off a piece of his mantle and later 
showed it to him to prove to him his loyalty and love. 
On seeing this, Saul wept before David and said, “You 
have given good for evil.” 

David was loyal to Saul even after his death. When 
a soldier came to David with the news that Saul was 
slain, and that he was the one who had despatched the 
king, David instead of exalting him, slew him. 

Saul’s days now were soon to end. The battle in 
the Plains of Esdraelon were to be his last. The battle 
was near the hills of Endor. Saul was feeble in mind 
and body and God had forsaken him. Samuel the 
prophet was dead. The great hostile force in battle 


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array advancing, filled him with dismay. He now 
wanted some godly divination revealed to him. How 
and what to do, or perhaps to know what was in store 
for him in the near future, is what caused him to 
seek the witch of Endor as his only alternative. Saul 
asked her to invoke the spirit of the great prophet 
Samuel. In an instant an apparition appeared before 
them; it was the spirit of Samuel. He rehearsed to 
Saul what he had told him at Gilgal many years before 
of his ungodly life, and also told him that tomorrow 
he and his sons would be with the dead on the battle- 
field. 

True to the word of Samuel’s spirit the Israelites 
and Philistines met and fought bravely. The Israelites 
were driven upon a hill near Gilboa, the three sons 
of Saul — Jonathan, Abinadab and Malchishua — were 
slain, and Saul was driven on a high mount alone with 
his armor-bearer. He asked the armor-bearer to kill 
him, but he refused. At this, Saul fell upon his own 
sword, as the Philistines were about him. This was 
the last chapter in the life of the first King of Israel. 


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87 


CHAPTER VIII. 

JERUSALEM. 

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, city of God, 

The sacred place where holy princes trod ; 

Many times you’ve fallen, as many times been burned, 
As many times laid low in dust, as many times re- 
turned. 

David was a shepherd for his father, when a boy. 
He loved poetry and was a musician. While in the 
great wilderness he composed many of his beautiful 
psalms. 

‘‘The heavens declare the glory of God 
The firmament showeth his handiwork.” 

‘ ‘ I will say unto the Lord, He is my refuge and my 
fortress, My God, in Him will I trust.” 

The twenty-third psalm, the most beautiful of all 
the psalms of David, shows his confidence in God’s 
grace : 

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He 
maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth 
me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul. He 
leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s 
sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the 
shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with 
me, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou 
anointed my head with oil, my cup runneth over. Sure- 
ly goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of 
my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for- 
ever.” 


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During Saul’s more friendly days with David, he 
told his scribes and counsellors that he knew of a 
young man who could meet the Philistine giant Goliath 
in single combat. 

They do not hesitate to call the boy, David, and 
have him meet Goliath. When he went into the field 
to meet him, David had not made himself invulnerable 
with armor. A sling that he used during his adoles- 
cence while attending his father’s sheep, with a dozen 
round stones, is all that he took as his munitions of 
war. When Goliath saw this, he gave a supercilious 
laugh. David answered him, saying: “By the help of 
God of Israel I slew a lion, and by the help of God I 
will deliver Israel out of the hands of the Philistines.” 

Goliath said to the boy David, “Am I a dog that 
thou comest to me with staves? Come to me and I 
will give thy flesh to the fowls of the air and to the 
beasts of the fields.” 

David answered, saying: “Thou comest to meet 
me with sword and spear and shield, but I come to thee 
in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies 
of Israel whom thou has defied.” 

After that they met on the battle-field between the 
firing line of the two armies. David threw a stone 
with terrible force. It struck the giant in the forehead 
and he fell to the earth stunned. David went to him 
and took his sword, and with one stroke decapitated 
him. The Philistines fled from the field in utter dis- 
may, but the Israelites followed and slaughtered their 
enemies for days thereafter. 

For seven years after David had been proclaimed 
king he did not rule all of Israel, only the tribe of 
Judah. Ishbosheth, the only living son of Saul, was 
ruler of the other tribes of Israel. He was a weak, 



DAVID SLAYS GOLIATH 






















































































































. 




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89 


pusillanimous king, and his subjects were growing tired 
of him and were favoring David. At last he was 
killed by his own household, and David was chosen 
King over all Israel. 

David tried to negotiate with the Jebusites to buy 
Jebus, but this was futile, for they would not part with 
their fortified city. This enraged David, and he sent 
his general, Joab, with his legions and they conquered 
them and took the city by scaling the cliffs: This is 
now Jerusalem, the “Place of Peace.” 

There are two mounts or hills there, one Mount 
Morah and the other Mount Zion. The Jebusites were 
allowed to remain on Mount Morah and David made 
his city to God on Mount Zion where he is now buried, 
and where all the Jews of the world pray that the 
Great Jehovah will return in mercy to them. David is 
the one who made Jerusalem the Holy City. The old 
tabernacle was at Gideon, and the ark was at Kirjath- 
Jearim. All of Israel, from the Lebanon Hills to 
Ephrath, knew that David was going to remove the 
ark to Jerusalem, and they all wished to worship at 
his holy shrine. They removed the ark, and this was 
one of the great events in the days of David, for this 
was now the city of the God of Abraham, Isaac and 
Jacob. As the ark was being transferred to Jerusa- 
lem, a great procession followed it and sang David’s 
psalms, David in the lead with the robes of state 
wrapped about him. 

While they were on their way to the Holy City, 
they were cautioned not to touch the holy relic. Not- 
withstanding this, one of the many followers violated 
this instruction: Uzzah, the son of David, touched 
the ark and fell dead as soon as he had laid his hand 
upon it. David at once decided that they were not ful- 


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filling the laws of Moses, that oxen should not draw 
the ark and from thenceforth he did as Moses would 
have done. He had it carried with poles of shittum 
wood supported and carried by Levites. The ark was 
brought into Jerusalem amid cheers and exultations of 
joy and praise. Psalms were sung as the ark was taken 
upon the sacred hill. It was like the returning of a 
great conqueror to his native land amid triumphant 
exortations. Levites by the thousands chanted and re- 
peated their litanies, as they placed the ark in a new 
tent prepared for it on Zion’s Hill. 

Some years after David became King of Israel, his 
second son, Absalom, killed his brother Amnon. Am- 
non was guilty of incest, having ruined his sister 
Tamur, and that so enraged Absalom that he not only 
reproached him with language abounding in acrimon- 
ious invective, but slew him. David, his father, placed 
Absalom in exile for a time for this act. 

Absalom was a handsome man, as was his father. 
His hair was long and beautiful, which was eventually 
the cause of his death, as he was caught in the thick 
underbrush by his hair. When he was trying to usurp 
his father’s suzerainty as King his hair became en- 
tangled in the brush, and this held him until the sol- 
diers cut him to pieces. 

Gad, a prophet, came to David and told him that 
God wanted him to choose between three maledictions, 
one of which was to befall him for his sins. The 
first was to be a pestilence, the second war, and the 
third famine. David said, “Let us fall into the hands 
of God, for His mercy is great, but not into the hands 
of man.” 

The plague followed, and seventy thousand of his 
people perished. At this time an angel appeared on 


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91 


Mount Moriah near the city walls, and was about to 
destroy the city, when David prayed for the Lord to 
spare them. At once the plague abated, and it was in 
memory of this angel on Mount Moriah and the cessa- 
tion of the plague that David consecrated the spot 
where the angel stood for a temple, which he himself 
started to build, and which his son Solomon finished 
after long years, and named it after himself, “Solo- 
mon’s Temple.” 

King Hiram, of Tyre, was the architect and builder. 
There was no such architect on earth then, or even 
now, as Hiram, King of Tyre. He was the founder of 
freemasonry. 

Some years after David became King he moved the 
capital from Hebron to Jerusalem. This displeased the 
people, and almost caused his deposition, for Absalom, 
his son, was a born usurper and tried to force his suz- 
erainty. However, he was too proud for the times; 
his ostentatious regal attitude, that he so boldly as- 
sumed, impressed many, and his politic loquacity and 
stultiloquence made him the auspicious prince. He was 
a male siren; his beauty was his fortune and his un- 
doing. 

Many of David’s best counsellors went over to Ab- 
salom, and Absalom was proclaimed king. As soon as 
this was done, rebellion was inevitable. David thought 
of his own dear city, and started at once with his faith- 
ful legions “the Gibborim,” the men who were with 
him at the cave. David loved Absalom, and it broke 
his heart to think he had to resort to such means as 
war to restrain him in his attempted usurpation of 
the throne. 

It was during this time that David wrote his most 
beautiful of all psalms, the twenty-third. He was at 


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Mahanaim, where he was staying with Saul’s son, Ish- 
bosheth. He met the army of Absalom near the woods of 
Ephraim. David remained in the city, for his aide 
would not allow him to risk his life. David warned 
his soldiers that if they should capture Absalom, not 
to deal harshly with him. 

The battle was decisive. Absalom lost twenty thous- 
and men, and when he saw that the day was lost, he 
made a hurried retreat through the thick forest. His 
thick, long matted hair became entangled with the 
limbs of one of the trees and was held fast, and not 
being able to extricate himself, the soldiers of David 
came upon him and killed him. This was greatly 
against David’s command, for he never recovered from 
the loss of his son. 

Absalom was not buried in a beautiful place near 
the city of Jerusalem that he had prepared for himself, 
but was buried in a hole where he was killed, and 
stones were cast upon his remains. David would per- 
haps never have lived through this terrible calamity, 
had not Joab, his commanding officer, convinced him 
that it was God’s will. 

Solomon was the prince now that was to succeed 
David. He was anointed and David proclaimed him 
King. 

David reigned thirty-nine years, and was buried on 
the Hill that he so dearly loved. 

This was the end of the greatest of this world’s 
Kings who was not only King, but father of God. 


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93 


CHAPTER IX. 

SOLOMON. 

Solomon, son of David, though how unlike David 
in so many ways! Solomon’s reign was a reign of 
peace. When God asked him what he desired the 
most of all in this world, he said “ Wisdom,” which 
God gave him, for he was the greatest savant of all 
kings. Solomon was a student. He loved the beauti- 
ful. His court was the grandest of all courts. His 
temple was so gorgeous that the Queen of Sheba came 
many miles to see its magnificence and to do homage to 
this esthetic king. Many other rulers came to see 
the magnificence of Solomon. Solomon was a godly 
man the most of his life, though many think he was a 
corrupt man on account of his many wives. We would 
call him a polygamist if he lived today in America or 
Christendom. Bigamy, polygamy and polyandry was 
not considered as sinful in Solomon’s time. Solomon’s 
mother was the wife of Uriah, a general in the army, 
and after he was killed, which was a conspiracy by 
David himself, David took her to himself and gat a 
son, and this son died and David lamented his sins. Na- 
than, the prophet, told him he had sinned in the eyes of 
the Lord. After seven days of contrition and repentance, 
he cohabited again with Beersheba, the former wife of 
Uriah, who bore Solomon. When David first saw the 
wife of Uriah, she was bathing at a pool near the 
palace. David could see her and he became so en- 
tranced with her physical charms, he sent for her to 


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come into the palace ; this was the reason why she was 
named Beersheba, because she was bathing in this 
pond or pool. Solomon, the son who was born from 
this woman, was a well-schooled youth; he also had 
natural propensities. He was reared in splendor, sur- 
rounded by his father’s court, and all of the best tutors 
of the day were his teachers. Being a lover of litera- 
ture, his father regarded him as a propitious child 
when he arrived at the age of twenty years. 

Solomon’s wisdom was almost omniscient. He dis- 
played his almost infinite wisdom when he judged the 
mother of the purloined child. Two women came be- 
fore him, both claiming to be the mother of the child. 
The judges could not determine who the child really be- 
longed to. When they were brought before King Solo- 
mon he asked his executioner to divide the child in the 
presence of the two women and give half to one and 
half to the other. As he raised his blade to divide the 
child the real mother’s countenance changed at once, 
and she flung herself at the feet of the executioner 
and appealed to Solomon to give the child to the 
other woman rather than to kill it, while the other 
woman who was not the mother stood by unagitated 
at the scene that was about to be enacted. Solomon 
gave the child to the true mother, and no doubt repri- 
manded the one who would have witnessed the death 
of the infant wfith nonchalance and inadvertence. 

Of all the acts of Solomon none raise him to such 
pre-eminence as the laying out and completion of his 
temple. Hiram, King of Tyre, furnished the cedars 
from the Lebanon Mountains to finish the interior of 
this grand and imposing edifice. Cypress wood was 
also used in its construction. Solomon picked thirty 
thousand men to work for Hiram, King of Tyre, in 



THE JUDGMENT OF SOLOMON 














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95 


removing the stone from Mount Moriah, which today is 
called Solomon’s quarry. The stones were cut on the 
spot where they were quarried and brought to the 
temple ’s site and laid in their places when the building 
was in course of construction. Great walls and cis- 
terns were constructed; one of the cisterns holds ten 
million gallons of water. Part of the walls still stand ! 
it is called the “wailing wall.” Thousands of Jews 
visit this place on Saturday and pray and wail for their 
condition and also their city Jerusalem. 

The carvings inside of the temple were figures of 
palm trees and of cherubims in relief, all of cypress, 
cedar and shittum wood. Much of the finishings were 
in gold, studded with millions of gems. Two great 
pillars of solid brass supported the vestibule to the 
main entrance of the temple; on the capital of each 
pillar one hundred pomegranates hung in graceful pose. 
They were made of bronze, and when the gentle eastern 
zephyrs would fan them in collision with each other, 
the sound was said to be musical and could be heard at 
great distances. On the rear end of each side were 
erected three large buildings, one for the Levites, the 
palace and State buildings the other two. The Court 
of the Gentiles with its palms, orange trees, spice 
plants, fig trees, olive groves and beds of flowers, was 
the space between the rear of the temple and the pal- 
ace. One of the rooms in the temple was made of pure 
gold; this was called the “Holy of Holies.” An altar 
was erected here of rough stone taken from Mount Mor- 
iah. The ark of the covenant was placed upon the al- 
tar. The table of shew bread, the seven branched can- 
delabra and the Decalogue, or tablets of stone with the 
commandments on them, that Moses received from the 
Lord on Mount Sinai. Whether Aaron’s Rod and the 


96 


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book containing the Law was ever in the Holy of Holies 
or not is a mystery that will probably never be solved. 
A private entrance was made for Solomon himself be- 
tween the palace and the Temple. This entrance was 
in the form of a winding stairway, made of sandal 
wood which gives off a pleasant odor. The building of 
the temple occupied a period of nine years. During 
the feast of the tabernacle Solomon dedicated the tem- 
ple. He had the old temple brought from Gibeon and 
had it stored away in sheds near the new temple ; also 
the temple on Mount Zion was taken care of in this 
way. Solomon had stables for forty-five hundred 
horses cut out of solid rock, which are still intact; 
they are nearly under the site of the temple. Solomon 
could leave the city in his daily rides without anyone 
except his servants knowing he had gone. The sub- 
terranean passage from the palace to the stables and 
then on out under the city by the golden gate was 
so built to enable him to leave the palace without the 
citizens knowing his movements. 

When Solomon consecrated the temple he stood on 
a platform of solid brass, with five hundred uniformed 
guards attending him. The temple and grounds were 
filled to overflowing on this holy day of dedication. 
Hundreds of Levites or priests blew trumpets and sang 
psalms on this occasion. All of the officers of the 
court were gowned in the richest golden robes, and 
chanting these words: “He is good, for his mercy en- 
dureth forever.’ ’ A heavy veil of darkness fell over 
the temple and caused the day to be as the darkest 
night. This frightened the people to the extent that 
they ceased their dedicating operations for a moment, 
until Solomon spoke up and said, “The Lord said he 
would dwell in thickest darkness.” After the blessing 


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97 


from Solomon lie offered one of the most beautiful 
prayers in the Bible (I Kings, 8th Chapter). On the 
eighth day the dedication was over and Solomon sent 
the people away. This was no doubt the greatest sacri- 
ficial feast ever offered, and also the greatest and 
grandest work man's hands have ever done in struc- 
tures consecrated to God in heaven. 

Solomon was a profligate himself in the end. He 
walked from the path of rectitude and married many 
reprehensible women, whose blandishments started 
him on his retrograding declivity, from which he and 
his posterity and country never recovered. 

Solomon's marriage to the daughter of Pharaoh, 
King of Egypt, was a great displeasure to the Lord, 
for she caused Solomon to worship other Gods at times 
and this wrought the Lord’s anger against him and 
his. Solomon is imputed to have had one thousand 
wives, of which the large majority were foreign women. 
God came to Solomon and told him he had worshipped 
other gods and that he was going to rend the kingdom 
from him and was going to give it to another. God 
told him he would not take it from him while he lived, 
for his father's sake, “and even then I will not take all 
of thy kingdom away, I will leave one tribe for thy 
son, and that shall be for Jerusalem's sake and for 
David's sake, and this shall be Judah that I shall give 
thy son." 

Solomon gave Jeroboam charge over the tribe of 
Joseph 

Elijah, a prophet, who was a Shilomite, told him 
the Lord had rent the nation from his master’s hands, 
and would give him ten tribes of Israel and would give 
one to the house of Israel for Jerusalem's sake and for 
David’s sake. Solomon asseverated he would kill Jero- 


98 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


boam. On hearing this prophesy Jeroboam was com- 
pelled to flee to Egypt for safety, where he remained 
until the death of Solomon. 

Rehoboam succeeded his father to the throne of 
Judah; for the seed of David must be saved and perpet- 
uated; the light of the house of David must be kept 
burning, for in the loins of the royal family was the 
embryo that was to germinate into Jesus Christ, our 
Lord. Rehoboam succeeding his father, of course, nat- 
urally would succeed him in living in luxury and grand- 
eur in his father’s palace, which contained the ivory 
throne. The palace of justice, adjoining the palace of 
the king’s household, could be entered by a beautiful 
nave, fretted with allegorical statues lighted by colored 
prisms of closely set rock crystal that allowed the sun’s 
rays to refrange in all quarters of the hall. The floor 
was of tile, made of Oriental mosaics about ten inches 
square, and laid out in checkered design. The throne 
of ivory was the most elaborate of all thrones. It was 
inlaid with gold and with gems, and heroic statues of 
lions served as arms to the chair. 

The stables that have been referred to in this chap- 
ter are in a wonderfully good state of preservation at 
the present time, but all the rest of the great structures 
were destroyed. The temple was destroyed by Nebu- 
chadnezzar, King of Babylon, rebuilt by Zerubbabel and 
again destroyed in 76 A. D. by Titus, son of Vespasian, 
Emperor of Rome, and now on the site of the temple is 
standing the largest and most beautiful mosque in the 
Avorld, built and dedicated to Omar as a fitting monu- 
ment to his memory. It was under the dome of this 
great edifice that many soldiers and citizens of the be- 
sieged city were slaughtered after Godfrey de Bouyon 
had entered and delivered Jerusalem and the holy 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


99 


sepulcher from under the guardianship of the Moham- 
medan Caliph. Of the many crusades Godfrey’s was 
the only one that ever overpowered and really con- 
quered the sons of the Arabian Knights. 

The mosque of Omar, which is an edifice for Islam 
worship, was built from the debris of the temple of 
Solomon. Under the great dome of this edifice is the 
large rock that Abraham was about to sacrifice his son 
Isaac on, when his hand was stayed by the angel and 
he sacrificed a ram that was caught in a bush by its 
horns instead. 

The people had become very tired of Solomon’s 
mode of government by taxing them so that he could 
fill his coffers with gold, and empty them at will, to be 
refilled by the sweat of the brow of the masses for his 
own edification and delight. 

Solomon was compelled to give Hiram, King of 
Tyre, twenty towns in Gallilee for a debt he had con- 
tracted with the great architect. The people displayed 
their willingness in so far as the erection of the House 
of God, but when Solomon built his palace of extreme 
magnitude and ornate grandeur to found eudemonics 
for his own individual pleasure, murmurs of dissatis- 
faction were heard throughout the realm. 

Sixteen thousand dined at his table, and seven miles 
from Jerusalem he had a garden for his own delecta- 
tion which was the most beautiful in all the world. 

Solomon would drive out to his garden robed in his 
beautiful immaculate white garments, redolent with 
myrrh and cassia and perfumes of all the best obtaina- 
ble. He was driven in a chariot drawn by many spans 
of white Arabian horses with postilions mounted as 
his guard with archers’ weapons. The young men 
who composed this guard were selected by the King 


100 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


himself, and were the most perfect men in physical 
make-np he could muster in all Arabia. They all were 
required to have military training and deportment. 
Their physiognomy was symmetrical, and features 
classical, with complexions fair and fitting (with their 
royal robes of Tyrean purple) to denote purity, as 
proper to the heirs to a king. A king’s heir should be 
born in the purple in the royal bed-chamber, which is 
finished in porphery marble or purple marble to re- 
ceive the queen’s accouchement, which has a lawful 
significance to the prince or princess whose royal fath- 
er and mother were really royal and neither had sought 
morganatic marriage, which leaves their noble descend- 
ants with a pre-natal license, allowing themselves to 
say while incarnate that they were “born in the pur- 
ple,” or born in purity and in royal legitimacy, thus 
making them eligible as heirs, or heirs apparent to the 
throne. 

This was perhaps why Solomon had his imperial 
guard robed in purple, to denote that even they were 
born pure from legally married fathers and mothers. 
Solomon at periodical intervals would have the wisest 
of men in his kingdom call on him and discourse ques- 
tions of State and of social, scientific, religious and phil- 
osophical matters, as well as current events. Solomon 
wrote his “Song of Songs” while at the zenith of his 
activity and career, also many proverbs of which but 
few have come down to us. He excited a poetical erud- 
itional spirit among many of his subjects; they would 
quote his proverbs until they became rules of moral 
persuasion and guidance. Solomon had scribes who 
ehronicled into scrolls or book form, the book we now 
call the Book of Samuel, also much of the Book of 
Chronicles. Solomon, with all of his beautiful 


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101 


surroundings, was not contented; he was not satisfied 
with the God who had blessed him with his earthly 
possessions, but must seek other false gods, and as 
time changed, his body changed; he grew older and 
weaker; his sceptre was losing its majestic potency, 
and he could see and had even been told by the Lord 
himself, his kingdom would be rent in pieces and only 
Judah should remain for his son after his death. 

Solomon’s life is an example for mankind, to elicit 
the fact that true happiness cannot be built on founda- 
tions of gold nor can it be had uninterruptedly on 
earth in any condition or under any circumstance, 
as Jesus said of the lily of the field that Solomon in 
all his glory was not arrayed as one of them. Nor can 
all of our happiness on this earth compare with a 
moment’s happiness of one of God’s saints in heaven. 


102 


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CHAPTER X. 

REHOBOAM, KING OF JUDAH. 

Rehoboam had reigned blit a few months after 
the death of his illustrious father Solomon, when he 
was summoned to Shechem before the elders of the 
ten tribes of Israel. They told him in esthetic 
language that his father’s yoke had been exceedingly 
galling to them, and asked him to lighten their burdens 
and also added in a modified, tender voice that they 
would serve him if he would do so. He asked for 
time to answer this question, as it was of vital import- 
ance to him because he could see that to lessen the tax 
budget would lessen his superabundant luxury. How- 
ever, he counselled with the old contemporary counsel- 
lors of his father, and they advised him to lighten the 
people’s burdens, and it would be best for all 
concerned. After receiving their verdict on this matter 
he sought the sentiment of the younger men of the day 
on this particular question. They treated the subject 
as having no great import or formidable features, and 
rather let the matter go by default, dismissing the 
convention after saying they would tell the people, if 
they were the King, they would make their burdens 
heavier instead of lighter, and would make the little 
finger as the thigh. 

Solomon had raised Jeroboam to the highest 
pinnacle of fame during his administration as King 
of Israel, and to reward him for his kindness J eroboam 
tried to usurp him from his kingly leadership. At 


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103 


this time he had returned from voluntary exile in 
Egypt. He was the son of a widow, and Solomon had 
reared him well and he had been schooled in the arts 
of war and statecraft of this day and age. He could 
now see, or at least thought he could see, his days of 
glory were at hand. 

As soon as Rehoboam gave his answer to the people 
at the end of the three days truce that he had asked 
for, they arose as one man against him, and chased him 
from Shechem to Jerusalem with hostile exhortations 
of vehemence that only bloodshed could have appeased. 
Jeroboam was a politic statesman, in so far as he could 
see malice against the house of David, or as far as he 
could use subterfuge and falsify to shape his own 
personal aspirations that he might enrich himself with 
all of the good things of the kingdom and consume 
them with unsatiated satiety. He was an unscrupu- 
lous, insincere, proud, overbearing, licentious idolater, 
who is never mentioned once in the Holy Bible without 
the appellation “who made Israel to sin” being added 
to his name. 

After he had, by innuendo, injured ^Rehoboam and 
pretended to his prospective subjects that he would 
shower them with whatever concessions they would 
ask him for, Jeroboam was made king over all Israel 
except Judah, which was still held by Rehoboam, for 
the Lord had promised for David’s sake and for 
Jerusalem’s sake this house should shelter the royal 
line of David. Jeroboam being an idolatrous king, 
many of his subjects, especially the priests or Levites, 
left the ten tribes of Israel that he reigned over, and 
went into Judah to take up their abode. The Levites 
or priests of those days were pedagogues ; they did all 
of the teaching of the children of the kingdom; this 


104 THE HISTORY OP THE BIBLE 


being the case, it strengthened Judah and made her 
more powerful than ever before, and lessened the 
strength and growth of Israel or the other ten tribes. 
The temple and Holy Mount of Zion was a Palladium 
to the state of Judah; it was a cause for its mainten- 
ance and shielded it after it was established. 

Many of the citizens of Israel who at this period 
were compelled to live under the domineering, sinful 
Jeroboam, would have left his kingdom at once had 
they not had their hands tied by not being able to sell 
their property, and the laws he had passed forbidding 
different things that became necessary, if they left 
the country and went into Judah. Most of the eupat- 
ridse of Israel favored living under the exalted 
supremacy of Rehoboam because he was of the royal 
family, and Jeroboam was only the son of a frugal 
widow. The prophesy had been heralded for centuries 
that through the royal line of David, the son of God, 
Emanuel was to come. Rehoboam was not a God- 
fearing King. He had altars to other gods built on 
high places for the people to worship before, but not 
like Jeroboam, who wanted the people to worship him 
through the golden calves. 

Rehoboam reigned seventeen years in Judah. 
Naaman was his mother. She was one of Solomon’s 
seraglio after he had become almost a terrestrial deity. 
She was an Ammonitess. Under Rehoboam ’s reign 
sodomy was in vogue throughout the country. The 
people became idolatrous and sinful until the govern- 
ment became slack, and state conventions gave way to 
banqueting and revelry, and licentious orgies. This 
was the status in Judah until the fifth year of Reho- 
boam ’s reign. When God became so enraged he allowed 
his last tribe of Israel to be invaded by Shishak, King 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


105 


of Egypt, and this king took away with him the 
treasures of the house of the Lord and the king’s 
palace. War existed between Egypt and Judah for 
the rest of Rehoboam’s reign. Rehoboam was buried 
in the City of David in the valley of Jehosaphat, in 
a sequestered part of this valley where all of the kings 
of Judah and many of Israel have been interred. 
This place is called the “Tomb of the Kings of Judah.” 
The valley of Jehosaphat is to widen on the Judg- 
ment Day so as to give room to the Jews of the world 
when the trumpet of Gabriel is sounded. This is a 
prophet’s legend of the Jews, and its explanation is 
always forthcoming while with a guide in this valley 
at Jerusalem. 

After the death of Rehoboam Abijah, his son, 
succeeded him ; he was a man of valor, and was fearless 
of both God and man. His reign was a wicked, 
dissolute, idolatrous one, and at his death his son Asa 
ascended the throne of Judah. In the first part of 
his reign Asa was a just and God-fearing king. He 
removed the idols and the Sodomites from the country, 
and established the old creed of Judaism. Asa was 
sincere at first, for he proved his loyalty to his God 
when he removed his mother for setting up an idol 
in a grove of Judah. Asa implored Benhadad, King 
of Syria at Damascus, to help him crush Baasha, King 
of Israel, who had invaded Judea. Baasha had begun 
to build his capital and city walls at Ramah, and when 
he was defeated in part by Benhadad and Asa, he 
ceased building at Ramah and went into Tirzah. 
Benhadad saved Judah for Asa and for the Lord. Asa 
had a lingering illness in his feet and limbs, and after 
some years of suffering died and was buried in the 
City of David. The last part of his reign was sinful 


106 THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


in the eyes of the Lord. He raised the standard of 
morality but few degrees above his predecessor. 

Jeroboam was slain by Baasha in the third year of 
Asa’s reign over Judah. Baasha now succeeded 
Jeroboam to the throne of Israel. The prophet Abijah, 
the Shilonite, had said every one of his children would 
be slain and none should reign as King of Israel but 
a short time until their lives would be forfeited. 

Nadab’s reign was short and wicked. Baasha 
had sinned and worshipped false gods. Jehu, the son 
of Hannai, was told by the Lord that Baasha ’s flesh 
would be eaten by the dogs and that none of his house 
should remain. This is the second prophesy of his 
being exterminated from the face of the earth. After 
his ignominious ending, Elah succeeded him. The capi- 
tal was still at Tirzah ; he was but a short time on the 
throne of Israel when his captain Zimri smote him. 
This was the end of another who had begun the same 
sinful career that the others before him had followed. 

Jehosaphat succeeded Asa as King of Judah. He 
did all in his power to bring the people back to right- 
eousness and to the God of their fathers, but his work 
and anxiety were all in vain. He was a good king, 
and a righteous God-fearing man, who spent his life 
in the betterment of his fellow-men. God gave 
Jehosaphat victory over his enemies in battle, because 
he was a just king and tried to follow the straight 
and narrow path. At his death his son, Joram, 
succeeded. One king after another reigned over 
Judah. In this millennium of evil, Judean monarchs 
nearly all of them were corrupt in the sight of the Lord. 
Prophets would rise up and prophesy the demolition 
of the country and all therein if repentence was not 
forthcoming. This was of no avail. They would slay 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 107 

the prophets for uttering or purporting the word of 
God. Jeroboam, who caused Israel to sin, was the most 
corrupt of all the kings of Israel; his making the 
golden calves and setting them up for the people to 
worship him through the calves, assuming that he was 
a god, caused the people to arrive at such a stage of 
iniquity that Hosea gave up in despair, for he felt 
they were beyond redemption. 

Omri built a new capital at Samaria, a beautiful 
place near a fertile spot on the desert of Galilee, and 
moved there from the old capital at Tirzali. He was 
as great a sinner as his predecessors, and set up idols 
for the people to worship. 

Ahab, the son of Omri, succeeded his father to the 
throne of Israel. Ahab was running over with turpi- 
tude and moral perversity. He never manifested any 
sanctity or religious devotion for the God of Abraham, 
but on the contrary worshipped the “Sun God of 
Baal.” Ahab married Jezebel of Jeseriel, the daughter 
of Ethbaal, king of the Zidonians. She was also an 
idolatrous ruler, and one of the most dissolute 
libertines that has ever lived in the history of the 
world. Nothing was too vile or low for her to stoop 
to, forsooth she need not stoop, she was naturally so low 
that she had even to rise from her natural self to be 
in company and keeping with the lowest of the low. 

Ahab built an altar to the god Baal in Samaria, 
for his people as well as his own convenience. Not 
long after this the greatest of prophets since Moses 
rose up. This was Elijah, the Tishbite of Gilead. He 
went unto Ahab, the King of Israel, and told him what 
the Lord had said to him. He said in part, “As the 
Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there 
shall not be a drop of dew or rain these years but 


108 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


according to my word.” As soon as he made this 
known to Ahab, the Lord told him to hide by the brook 
Cherith. This is near the Jordan river and when the 
country is parched this brook holds out the longest 
of any in Israel. He was also told by the Lord that 
ravens would come to his saxatile home and feed him. 
Elijah did as the Lord commanded, and the ravens 
came to him in his cave out in the desert and fed this 
Bedouin prophet of God. 

In a short time the brook dried up and Elijah was 
told by the Lord to go to Zarephath to dwell, for he 
had a woman there that would sustain him. Elijah 
went to the place the Lord had guided him, and as 
he entered the gate of the city he beheld a woman 
gathering sticks, and he called to her to bring him a 
drink of water and a morsel of food. The good 
woman said to Elijah, ‘‘As the Lord thy God liveth, I 
have but a handful of meal in a barrel and a little 
oil in a cruse, and I am about to cook it for myself 
and son that we may eat it and die.” Elijah said to 
her, “Fear not, go do as I command you, that I may 
eat, make a little cake and bring it first to me and then 
take one unto thy son.” Elijah said this perhaps to 
try the woman’s philanthrophy and charity to the 
needy. Elijah said to her, “The barrel of meal shall 
not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail. ’ ’ She did 
as she was asked with a willing heart. As soon as 
they ate of the meal Elijah told the woman the barrel 
of meal and the oil would last until the rain came 
upon the land. The widow from now on had plenty 
of food that was miraculously supplied, and she ate 
with satiety. 

Not long after this the son took sick and died, and 
his mother now knowing that she was alone in the 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


109 


world, and to part with that which was parting with 
life itself, rendered her inconsolable. The great proph- 
et was near the prostrate form of the dead son. She 
looked at Elijah, who had the appearance of a 
patriarch, and said to him, “What have I to do with 
thee, 0 thou man of God, art thou come to me to 
remind me of my sin?” Elijah at once raised the son 
from death to health and activity. The widow fell on 
her knees and wept with delight and said, “Now I 
know you are a man of God.” He answered saying, 
“See, thy son liveth.” She replied by saying, “The 
word of the Lord in thy mouth is true.” 

This boy whom Elijah brought back to life is 
thought by many historians to be Jonah. It has been 
a polemical, hypothetical argument and question from 
which few facts have been evolved, though many 
ecclesiastical writers credit it as really a fact that 
the widow’s son was Jonah. 

The Lord came again to Elijah, and requested him 
to go to the King of Israel (Ahab) saying, “I will send 
rain upon the earth.” The drought had brought the 
most pernicious famine ever known in the history of 
Israel. Thousands and thousands starved to death; 
pestilence and disease from lack of nutrition was every- 
where; the entire nation was now in a critical condi- 
tion. Elijah was on his way to see the king as God 
had commanded. On his journey he met Obadiah, the 
governor of Ahab’s palatial residence. Obadiah was 
a noble, just, God-fearing man, for when Jezebel, the 
pusillanimous queen, who was the most ignoble of all 
queens known to man, and whose name has become a 
proverb and apothegm, had cut off the prophets and 
would have killed each and all of them if they spoke 
the word of the true God. Many of the prophets 


110 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


were fearless and placed their lives in jeopardy by 
uttering their heavenly afflatus publicly, until Obadiah 
imperiled his own life by immuring them in a cave 
of the wilderness and carrying them food to shield 
them from her wicked penalties, that he knew she 
would decree if they were found. 

Ahab and Obadiah saved the provender of the 
land by careful use of what little was at hand, and 
by so doing, saved the cattle and sheep through the 
famine. As they parted one day to go into the country 
to gather food for the stock, as they had been in the 
habit of doing, Obadiah went one way and Ahab the 
other. When Obadiah got some little distance away, 
he met Elijah, who told him to go to the King and tell 
him to behold him — that he was there. Obadiah was 
reluctant about doing this, for he was afraid Ahab 
would kill him, ‘‘For he has sent me throughout the 
land to find thee, and I have sworn that I knew not of 
thy whereabouts.” But Elijah persuaded him to go to 
the King and deliver his message. 

Obadiah, thinking he was serving God, went to the 
king and told him, and when Elijah and Ahab met, 
Elijah asked him, “Art thou the king that troubleth 
Israel ?” He answered him, saying: “I have not 
troubled Israel, but thee and thy father’s house.” 
Elijah answered him again — “You have forsaken the 
commandments of the true Lord and have followed 
Baalam. Gather all of Israel’s prophets of Baal 
together and go onto Mount Carmel, also the four 
hundred and fifty prophets of Baal that eat at Jezebel’s 
table, which are prophets of the Grove. I am one 
prophet of the Lord, and you have hundreds of your 
prophets of Baal. Let us go unto Mount Carmel and 
dress bullocks and erect two altars, and place wood 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


111 


under the dressed bullocks, and you call on the Lord 
of Baal, and I will call on the Lord God of heaven and 
earth, and the one who answers by fire, let him be the 
true God.” 

Ahab the king consented to do this, and with his 
four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, went to 
Mount Carmel and met Elijah, and the altars were 
built, one for the God of heaven and the other for the 
Sun God, Baal. The prophets of Baal laid the dressed 
bullocks on their altar and placed wood under it, and 
commenced to shout and dance like Dervishes of this 
day and age in some of the Mohammedan capitals. 
They made loud exhortations and incantations, and 
appeals to their latent gods, and pierced themselves 
with their sabres and bodkins. They bled and cried 
to the streaming blood as it was oozing from their self- 
inflicted wounds, and still the fire did not come and 
consume the bullocks. 

Midday arrived and they were still gesticulating 
their quixotic solemnic liturgies without the least 
manifestation of any heavenly intervention. Still they 
kept up their vague religious rituals until evening, 
when they were tired and discouraged. The wood 
had not ignited. Elijah asked them not to become 
discouraged, that perhaps their God or Gods had gone 
to sleep, or had gone on a journey. “Cry aloud, he 
does not hear you,” he said. They all leapt upon the 
altar and shouted to their God again and again, to 
come, but he did not manifest himself in any way. 

They were told to wait. Elijah came forward. The 
sun was dipping its aureate crest into the western sea, 
just at the close of the day. When the world seemed 
as though even nature itself was observing Mintav in 
its quiet attitude, now being veiled by the spirit of 


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night and darkness, Elijah said to Ahab and the 
priests of Baal, “Come near unto me.” After they 
drew near to him, he repaired the altar to his God 
that they had broken down in their baroque incanta- 
tions. Elijah took twelve stones to represent the 
twelve tribes of Israel, and with the stones he built an 
altar in the name of the Lord, and he made a trench 
about the altar and ordered that many barrels of water 
be poured upon the bullocks that were laid upon the 
altar. They poured the water on the sacrifice as he 
had ordered, and he then ordered them to pour more 
water on the wood that was under the bullocks on the 
altar. This they did for the third time, until the 
trench about the altar was filled with water. At this 
Elijah came near to the altar and said with naivete and 
simplicity characteristic of a man who is really 
endowed with latent force: “Lord God of Abraham, 
of Isaac and of Israel, let it be known this day that 
thou art God alone in Israel, and that 1 am thy servant, 
and that I have done all of these things at thy word. 
Hear me, 0, Lord, hear me, that these people may know 
that thou art the Lord God.” 

When Elijah had ceased talking with his conversa- 
tion directed to God and to heaven, the fire of the 
Lord fell from heaven and consumed the bullocks as 
a burnt sacrifice, and the wood was consumed and 
the twelve stones were consumed and the dust under 
the stones, and the water that was in the trench was 
licked up by the heat. And when the people saw this 
they fell on their faces and said, “He is the God.” 

Elijah said to the king: “Take the prophets of 
Baal and do not let a single one live.” Elijah took 
them to the brook Kishon and slew them, and Elijah 
said to Ahab. “Eat and drink for rain is at hand.” 


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And Elijah went upon Mount Carmel and had his 
servant with him, who perhaps was the son of the 
widow he had raised from the dead. Elijah said to 
his servant, “Go up on yon peak and look toward the 
sea.” The boy did as he was commanded, and after 
reaching the top of the peak Elijah said to him, “Do 
you not see a cloud on the horizon over the western 
seas, my boy?” The boy looked into the west and 
said: “My Lord and master, I behold no cloud upon 
the dome of heaven.” Elijah again said to the boy, 
“Go thou and look, survey the blue infinitude and tell 
me if a cloud has gathered there?” He looked again, 
and said, “There is no cloud, my Lord, within the 
sky.” -Elijah said, “0, look again, my boy.” The 
boy looked and said “My Lord, the sky is clear and 
as blue as ever.” Elijah then said, “My boy is there 
not a cloud the size of your hand in yonder sky?” 
The boy paused a moment, as he looked in the direction 
Elijah had pointed to with his outstretched arm and 
hand. He turned and said, “My Lord and master, I 
do see a cloud the size of mortal’s hand.” Elijah said, 
“My boy, ask Ahab, the king, to take you home in 
his chariot, for the winds and rain will sweep you 
away. But look again, my boy, at yonder sky.” The 
boy looked, saying “0, master, the clouds have formed. 
The heavens are black and the winds are blowing.” 

And now the clouds were raised above them by the 
heavy western winds ; the rain fell in torrents upon the 
parched earth. The fountains of heaven poured forth 
their fluids, while the winds drove the descending 
water-spouts through space with shrill sounds only 
broken by the occasional thundering of Thor’s celes- 
tial cannons to add to the terror of the elements in 
chaos. The lightning flashed its imperial wings with 


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its refrangible feathers that flew across the universe 
to lighten the prevailing horror of this terrible con- 
flagration. 

Ahab made haste to his palace to inform Jezebel 
what Elijah had said and done this day in the unfold- 
ing of God’s mighty and ever-prevailing truths. He 
told her of the slaying of the prophets of Baal, and also 
of his prophecies which had been fulfilled; but this 
only kindled her anger, and she resolved to seek 
vengeance for the lives of her false prophets of Baal, 
and she swore by her gods that she would by the 
morrow make his life as one of them. 

When Elijah heard of her resolution he was com- 
pelled to flee to Beersheba, which belonged at that 
time to Judah. He went into the wilderness and left 
his servant, the boy, who had been with him on Mount 
Carmel. At Beersheba Elijah sat under a juniper tree 
in the wilderness and asked that he might die, for he 
said; “I am no better than my fathers.” As he said 
this, an angel came to him and he beheld the angel, 
who said to him: “Arise and eat,” and there was a 
cake baked on the coals and a cruse of water by his 
side that the angel had prepared. He ate and lay 
down again to rest. The angel of the Lord came again 
and said to Elijah, the man of God: “Arise and eat, 
the journey is too long for thee.” He arose and ate 
of the angel’s food, and went on his journey forty 
days and nights without food, unto Mount Horeb, 
“The Mountain of God,” and there he made a cave for 
his habitation, and the Lord came to him and said, 
“Elijah, what doest thou here?” Elijah replied, 
saying: “I have been very jealous. The children of 
Israel have been a sacrilegious people, and have de- 
secrated thy altars and ignored thy commandments. 


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115 


and have slain the prophets of the true God, and I, 
and only I am left, and now they seek me as well, to 
slay me.” 

And as he stood upon the mount where Moses 
stood when he received the law from the same God 
that he Elijah, was now communing with, he beheld 
the Lord, for he passed by in a strange wind that rent 
the mountain and crumbled the rocks. But the Lord 
was not in the wind nor was he in the earth, nor after 
the earthquake the fire, nor was he in the fire; but 
after the fire a still small voice came unto the ears 
of Elijah and said, “What doest thou here, Elijah?” 
Elijah replied, saying: “I have been jealous; they 
have forsaken thy covenant and thrown down thy 
altars.” The Lord answered and said, “Go unto 
Damascus and anoint Hazael to be king over Syria and 
Jehu, the son of Nimshi thou shalt anoint to be king 
over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel- 
mehobak shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy place. 
And it shall come to pass that whomsoever escape the 
sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay and whomsoever es- 
cape his sword shall Elisha slay. Yet I have seven 
thousand who have not bowed to or kissed Baal.” 

Elijah departed, and on his way to Damascus found 
Elisha plowing in the field with yokes of oxen, and as 
Elijah came near to him he cast his mantle upon Elisha, 
and Elisha said: “Let me go and kiss my father and 
mother, I pray thee, and I will follow thee.” This he 
did, and then followed Elijah. 

Ahab, King of Israel, had conquered Benhadad, 
King of Syria, for the Lord was provoked with Ben- 
haded for his saying, ‘ ‘ The Lord is God of the hills and 
not Lord of the valleys.” 

Benhadad, King of Syria, who had met the army of 


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Israel in the hills and suffered defeat by their strategy 
and valor, credited the success of the Israelites to 
their God, saying, “The battle was fought in the hills, 
and thy God is the Lord of the hills, therefore, the 
Israelites won. But, let us fight on the valleys or 
plains where our Gods hold plenary control, and we 
will win our conquests likewise. ” 

The two armies met shortly after and their gods of 
the plains were of little help to them, for Ahab, King 
of Israel, slew one hundred thousand men in one day, 
and the many that flew to Aphek to seek refuge were 
killed by a wall that collapsed over their heads. 
Twenty-seven thousand souls were despatched in this 
way by the Lord. 

After Benhadad’s defeat, he humbled himself by 
clothing himself in sack-cloth and coming before Ahab, 
King of Israel, and asking him to be merciful and let 
him live. A covenant was made between them, and 
Benhadad was allowed to live. 

Shortly after this, the evil spirit of Jezebel, which 
was pugnacious and covetous, began to manifest itself 
in another attack of her periodical spells of turpitude 
and moral perversity. Naboth was the possessor of a 
beautiful garden, with grapes, oranges, palms and all 
of the native fruits. It happened to be located in 
Jezreel, just beneath the king’s palace. Ahab looked 
out of his palace window one day, perhaps thinking 
of some trouble he could make for some one, when he 
spied the beautiful garden just adjoining the side en- 
trance to the palace grounds. “I have an idea, a noble 
thought,” he probably said as he sprang from his 
chair. “I will compel the owners of that garden to 
sell it to me.” He at once went to see Naboth, the 
owner of the garden, and asked him if he would sell 


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117 


it to him. Naboth answered him, saying he did not 
want to part with the property, because he needed it 
himself. Ahab said he would give him in return 
another garden, so that he would have a garden after 
all. Naboth still answered him with an emphatic No! 

Ahab went back to the palace and sat down looking 
morose and disconsolate, until Jezebel, his queen, came 
to him and asked him why he was in such a pensive 
and melancholy state of mind. Then he confessed to 
her his desire for yonder garden, as he probably 
pointed to it. This platitudinarian arose from her 
chair, no doubt, and used an oath, said: “Dost thou 
not govern the kingdom of Israel? Be merry, and I 
will give thee the vineyard of Naboth, the Jezreelite.” 
Her spirit of autonomy had now risen to a superlative 
attitude. She reveled in shedding blood, and would 
resort to any means to conquer. With vehement words 
her turgid mind composed a letter in the king’s nailie, 
sealed with his ring, and sent it to the nobles of the 
country and also to the elders of the city. The letter 
read in part: “Proclaim a feast and set Naboth on 
high among the people and set two men, sons of Belial, 
before him to bear witness against him, saying : ‘ Thou 
didst blaspheme God and the King!’ ” When he was 
found guilty of this crime, his sentence was to be death 
brought about by stoning. 

The feast and conspiracy were consummated. He 
was falsely and maliciously accused, tried, condemned, 
sentenced and executed. Poor Naboth lay dead, a 
victim at the hands of an ignoble queen. When Naboth 
was dead she said to Ahab: “Arise and take posses- 
sion of the garden which he refused you for money, 
for now he is dead. M As Ahab arose to go forth to 
the garden, the Lord had told Elijah to go to Ahab, 


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the king, who was in Samaria, and repeat these words 
to him: “Thus saith the Lord, in the place where 
dogs licked the blood of Naboth, shall dogs lick thine 
also. ’ ’ 

When Elijah met Ahab, he said: “Hast thou 
found me, 0, mine enemy.” 

Elijah answered him, saying: “I have found thee, 
for thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of 
the Lord. Behold! I will bring evil upon thee, and 
I will take away thy posterity, and the dogs shall eat 
Jezebel by the walls of Jezreel.” 

Jehosaphat, the son of Asa, was king of Judeah at 
this time, and Ahab said to Jehosaphat that he would 
go into battle, but would disguise himself and would 
don his, Jehosaphat ’s robes. War had been inevitable 
for some time, and now it had come to a reality, be- 
tween the king of Israel and the king of Syria. When 
the two forces had arranged themselves in battle array, 
the king of Syria ordered his lieutenants and captains 
to direct all of their forces against the king of their 
opponents, perhaps to capture him or kill him, if they 
even lost the day, they would win in the end by this 
strategy. 

When the battle began they were looking at Jeho- 
saphat, king of Judeah, and they said: “Surely it 
is the king of Israel.” 

Jehosaphat had allied with Ahab in the battle 
against the Syrians, and Ahab had been told by proph- 
ets whom God had sent a spirit to and corrupted their 
prophecy. When they turned to charge on him whom 
they thought to be Ahab (but instead, it was Jehosa- 
phat), and he cried out to the enemy and made known 
his identity, and the army turned back and would not 
pursue the king of Judeah. 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 119 

Just after this, a certain man drew a bow as 
a venture and smote the king of Israel. He was 
wounded and raised into his chariot, and the battle 
continued that day against the Syrians, and in the 
evening Ahab, King of Isreal, who had been wounded 
in the early part of the day, died, and the blood from 
his wounds ran down from the chariot. A proclama- 
tion was issued on the going down of the sun: “Every 
man to his own city and to his own country.” And 
they dispersed, and Ahab was taken to Samaria, and 
as the chariot was being washed at the pool where 
Naboth had been stoned to death, dogs licked up the 
blood of Ahab, the King of Israel. 

Thus ended the life of the king whose palace was 
made of ivory. Ahaziah, his son, succeeded his father 
as king. He had had the misfortune to fall from an 
upper chamber, and was severely injured. He sent 
messengers to Baalzebub, the god of Elkron, to ascer- 
tain, if possible, whether he could recover. Elijah 
was sent by the Lord to tell him that he would not 
recover, because he had solicited prophecies and pre- 
sages from the god of Ekron. God was provoked, for 
there was a just God in his land without sending to 
Ekron for Baalzebub, the Prince of Devils. True to 
Elijah’s prophecy, he died, and Jehoram reigned in 
his stead. Jehoram was the son of Jehosaphat, King 
of Judeah. Ahaziah had no sons. 

Elijah went to Gilgal and was followed by his pro- 
tege, Elisha, and from Gilgal to Bethel, and there the 
sons of the prophets came to Elisha and said to him, 
“Today thy master, Elijah, will be taken away from 
thee.” Elisha answered, saying: “Yes, I know it.” 
Elijah asked Elisha for the second time, to stay back, 
that he was going to Jericho, but Elisha loved him and 


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would not leave him, and followed him to Jericho. 
The sons of the prophets said to Elisha, as they did at 
Bethel, that his master was to be taken away on that 
day, and Elisha answered, as before, saying: “Yea, I 
know it.” And again Elijah asked to leave Elisha and 
go on to the banks of the Jordan and Elisha refused. 
Elijah must have done this to see if his brotherly love 
was amoranthine. They went on to the banks of the 
Jordan, and fifty sons of prophets followed them, and 
when they stood by the river Jordan, Elijah removed 
his mantle and folded it, and smote the waters and 
they divided, and Elijah and Elisha crossed on dry 
ground. When they had reached the opposite side of 
the river, Elijah asked him what he wanted him to do 
for him before he was taken away, and Elisha said : 

“I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be 
upon me.” 

At this moment a chariot of fire descended from 
heaven and parted them, and Elijah, whose body was 
compatible with his soul, and whose bearing was so 
closely knit and sewed with threads of righteousness 
and godly spirit that the Almighty could not separate 
the mortal from the immortal, sent a chariot from 
realms above to convey Elijah, the greatest of all 
prophets, to heaven. 

Elijah went to heaven in a chariot driven on and on 
by a whirlwind, and Elisha saw it, and cried out, 
saying: “My father, my father, the chariot of Israel 
and the horseman thereof.” And he saw them no 
more, and he took hold of his own mantle and rent it 
in twain, and took up the mantle of Elijah that had 
fallen from him when he arose to heaven. He took 
the mantle of Elijah and smote the waters of the 
Jordan, saying: “Where is the Lord God of Elijah?” 


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121 


The waters parted hither and thither, and Elisha 
walked over. The sons of the prophets wanted to 
seek Elijah on the mountain peak, thinking the Lord 
had taken him there. Elisha told them it would be use- 
less for them to hunt for him, but they went upon the 
mountain and looked for three days for Elijah, without 
success. 

God had taken his beloved prophet to the elysium, 
the abode of the earthly absent, to realms where 
prophets are not needed as prophets, hut in the congress 
and cabinet of God. 


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CHAPTER XI. 

JEHU ANOINTED KING OF ISRAEL. 

Elisha anointed Jehu king of Israel. God had said 
that all the house of Ahab should fall, and that Jezebel 
should be eaten by dogs. 

When Jehu went to Jezreel, Jezebel, thinking her 
prepossessing qualities might win her his favor, prepar- 
ed herself for the purpose of meeting him. She painted 
her faded face, which showed the marks of dissipation, 
and arranged her coiffure, and robed herself in her 
most becoming, and perhaps diaphanous and tawdry 
gown, trying by these means to conquer Jehu as Cleo- 
patra later conquered Antony. 

She then sat at the window of her palace; one can 
almost see her as she sits there with her tinted face, 
watching for Jehu to come by, that she might offer her 
silent overtures of love, so mute and vile, yet im- 
pressive, although only of a libertine and harlot. 

Jehu arrived and was not impressed with Jezebel’s 
personality; on the contrary he motioned to the 
eunuchs to cast her from the window to the pavement 
below, which, without any hesitation, they did. True 
to the prophecy of Elijah, the dogs ate her flesh and 
consumed all of her polluted body, excepting her 
skull, her feet, and the palms of her hands. 

This was the last act of a human drama, ending the 
mortal existence of a woman who, according to ecclesi- 


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123 


astieal history, made her name the most despised among 
women. This being perpetuated by tradition has 
made, and will always make the name Jezebel detesta- 
ble, as meaning the lowest of the low in the “ female 
of the species.” 


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CHAPTER XII. 

JOB, THE MAN OF FORTITUDE. 

Contemporary with the governing of Israel by 
the Petrarchs, lived a man named Job. He was blessed 
with ten children, seven sons and three daughters. He 
had accumulated a large fortune for a man of those 
days, and was the possessor of seven thousand sheep, 
three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, and 
as many asses; and employed many servants. 

Job had gained much prestige by his enormous 
wealth and commercial holdings, and was loved and 
respected, and honored by all for his piety and loyalty 
to his God. 

Job was on the highest pinnacle of earthly suprem- 
acy, and one day God said unto Satan, “Have you 
considered my servant Job; there is none like him on 
the whole earth. ’ ’ “ That is easy, ’ ’ replied Satan, ‘ ‘ for 
he is rich and is blessed in every thing he does. But 
if I touch him he will curse you, instead of love you.” 
God told Satan to try, but not to kill him. 

Satan, therefore, began his work of wrecking Job’s 
happiness. One day, while the family were eating and 
drinking and enjoying the good things with which God 
had so bountifully supplied them, one of Job’s servants 
came running to him and informed him that the 
Sabeans had taken his oxen and asses, and had killed 
his servants, and that he alone had escaped to tell the 
story. Just as he finished relating the calamity, 
another servant came running to him with bated 


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125 


breath saying, “The fire has come and consumed your 
sheep and all of the shepherds, and I alone remain to 
tell the story. ” When he had finished, a third servant 
came and told Job that the Caldeans had taken his 
camels and slain the camel-drivers, and that he alone 
remained to tell the story. A fourth messenger then 
came and informed him that a cyclone had blown his 
son ’s house down and killed all his sons and daughters. 

Job on hearing the news of the terrible calamities 
that had consecutively befallen him, rent his garments 
and fell upon the ground adoring God. He said, “The 
Lord giveth and He taketh away, blessed be the name 
of the Lord.” 

Again Job was visited by Satan, after he had failed 
in his first attempt to shake and shatter his faith in the 
Holy Spirit. This time he touched his body and in- 
oculated it with disease, thinking the pain, together 
with his poverty, would surely irritate him to such an 
extent that he would curse the Lord. Boils, or Job’s 
comforters as they have since been called, came out 
all over his body. They itched, pained, and irritated 
him so that he was compelled to scrape them with a 
potsherd to obtain temporary relief. 

Job’s wife came to him and beseeched him to curse 
the Lord whom he was now devoutly upholding and 
still clinging to as a drowning man will grasp for a 
straw, and later be found at the bottom of the river 
with the straw clenched in his hand. Job, she main- 
tained, was somewhat similar, she probably meaning 
that he could grasp for a better God. Job knew that 
if he did grasp out for another God, it would only be 
an imaginary one. 

His three friends came to him to condole with him 
in his sorrow, and sat around on the sand arguing as 


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to God’s equity to man, and Job said, “If we have 
received good from the hand of God, why shall we not 
receive evil?” The three friends sat there for seven 
days and nights without speaking a word, because they 
were so deeply touched by the trials of their friend 
Job. 

At last Job spoke, being unable to control his feel- 
ings further, and gave vent to his emotions, saying he 
wanted to die, that he was not fit to live, and was sorry 
he had ever been born. “Let the day perish wherein 
I was born, and the night in which it was said, there is 
a man child conceived. Let darkness and the shadow 
of death stain it; let a cloud dwell upon it; let the 
blackness of the day terrify it.” When Job said, “Is 
my strength the strength of stones, or is my flesh of 
brass?” he probably meant to convey that human 
flesh is weak in vicissitudes and temptation. Even a 
holy man might curse his God, under such afflictions. 
He said that now he was poor, his friends were as the 
brook whose waters pass away. 

His friends finally reproached him, for sinning in 
the eyes of the Lord, saying that he must have sinned 
or he would not have been visited by such terrible 
calamities. But he only answered them by citing God’s 
greatness, saying, “He maketh the Pleiades, and the 
chambers of the South; he removeth the mountains 
and overturneth them in his anger.” 

J ob felt that it was the Lord ’s will that this trouble 
had come to him, and whatever He willed was best. 
He thought that this pernicious visitation had pre- 
served his spirit. 

The three friends who urged Job to confess his 
sm to them failed utterly, for he would not acknowl- 


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127 


edge that he had done evil in the sight of the Lord, and 
stoutly maintained his confidence in God. 

Job was rewarded for his steadfastness in the Lord, 
for the Lord had won the laurels from Satan. Within 
a short time Job recovered from his sickness and be- 
came rich again, as before, and was blessed again 
with seven sons and three daughters. He lived to be 
104 years old, and saw his children ’s children, and their 
children. 

His life — from the time that Satan acknowledged 
to the Lord that he had resorted to every means, but 
death, to shake and shatter Job’s love and confidence 
in Him and had failed — was a happy one. The Lord 
saw that he was a worthy man, and he made his life 
happy and prosperous. 

Job was like Jesus Christ in his science of Aretaics, 
or virtue and happiness, which he demonstrated in his 
counsel in peace, fortitude in distress, and exultations 
in the Lord’s divine blessings and infinite wisdom and 
omnipotence. 


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CHAPTER XIII. 

QUEEN ESTHER. 

Queen Esther, an orphan, had been brought up by 
her uncle Mordecai, and was a very prepossessing 
woman. All the elite ladies of the realm tried to 
emulate her in her style of dress, as well as her manners 
and mannerisms, and she was cited as a model in 
beauty and criterion in moral virtue. 

Ahasuerus, or as some historians say, Xerxes, the 
monarch of the East who invaded Greece with over 
one million men well drilled as soldiers, was Esther’s 
husband, and king. He ruled the Babylonian Empire 
with a despotic hand. 

The King ’s residence, during the winter season, was 
at Susa, and one evening he gave a great feast to his 
Lord’s satraps and nobles, at this palace. During the 
feast, when revelry was at its zenith of activity, the 
king asked Yashti, who was his wife at that time, to 
remove her veil and expose her beautiful face and 
features to the view of his guests, that they might reap 
the abundant harvest of grace, beauty and charm, it 
would afford them by her so doing. Yashti peremptor- 
ily and most emphatically refused to comply with his 
suppliant request, and reproached the king for asking 
her to do anything that was so contrary to the laws 
of conventionality and ethics of social dignity. She 
felt that this was her prerogative, as in the Orient the 
ladies veil their faces, from the nose down, to hide 
them. As this was a custom, and custom is what 


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129 


makes laws, she was in a large measure justified in the 
attitude she assumed. 

However, the queen’s ultimatum in this matter, 
was not received by the king with impunity and con- 
sideration ; on the contrary the king and his counsellors 
Avere aroused to say that if the queens of empires re- 
fused the dictates of their kings and masters, lesser 
queens and women throughout the realm, would refuse 
to obey their husbands, as well. The king’s counsel- 
lors immediately suggested that he would better resort 
to ascetic means, and divorce Yashti .as wife and queen 
of the realm. Their advice was followed, and the 
king dissolved their marital bonds and dismissed her 
from the royal court and household forever. 

A short time after this one of the King’s counsellors 
suggested that messengers be sent throughout the 
country to gather up the most beautiful, attractive and 
accomplished virgins, and bring them before the king 
that he might choose from among them his wife and 
queen. This was agreeable to the king and was duly 
acted upon. The young virgins were mobilized and 
brought before him in military discipline and, as they 
stood before him, he looked up and down the line many 
times, finally handing the “golden apple” to Esther. 

Esther was conservative and reticent, attractive 
and accomplished; her bearing was queenly, her face 
beautiful, her figure physical perfection, her deport- 
ment was grace, and with it all, humility and immacu- 
late virtue. 

Mordecai, Esther’s uncle, was a servant in the 
king’s household. He could always be seen at the gates 
of the palace. He was a Jew, as was his niece Esther, 
but they had never as yet revealed the true identity 
of their racial blood, nor did the king nor any of the 


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Court know of the blood relation that existed between 
Mordecai and Esther. 

One of the king’s counsellors whose name was Ha- 
man, pretended to be a friend of the king and the king- 
dom’s commonwealth, but was later proven to be a 
jealous, malicious, conspiring scoundrel. Haman had 
free access to the king’s apartments, and could come 
and go to and from the palace at will. In England 
some of the king’s subjects are allowed to come before 
him without removing their hats, at any time they 
choose, and this is called the “Honor of the Hat.” 
Very likely, Haman had a similar privilege granted him 
by the king of the Babylonians. 

Haman, it has been said, was endowed with a per- 
sonal magnetism that not only drew people to him, 
but inspired their confidence as well. He exercised 
both social and political strategy, and made every- 
thing plausible on the surface, in all questions of 
either petty or vital importance that happened to oc- 
cur in matters of State, or current events, whether 
of social, political, scientific, philosophical, or religious 
import. His word was always looked upon by the 
king as being infallible and unimpeachable. This is 
dangerous, particularly in a case where the man in 
question is of a reprehensible character, as Haman ulti- 
mately proved himself to be. 

Mordecai undoubtedly was a man with intuitive 
instinct, for from the beginning he disliked Haman; 
he could see deeper than those who had so much con- 
fidence in him. 

At an early date the king’s life had been in jeop- 
ardy by a conspiracy against him, and he would have 
been killed had not Mordecai discovered the plot and 
exposed the guilty parties who were about to perpe- 


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trate the crime. Haman was particularly careful that 
this service, although of infinite value to the king and 
the realm, should have no public mention or notice 
other than that it was recorded in the chronicles of the 
realm and filed away in the royal archives. Haman 
knew that if the king and his counsellors were made 
aware of his service, the king would probably appoint 
Mordecai to an office which would usurp his own suzer- 
ainty as friend and counsellor to the king. 

When Haman would pass through the gates of the 
palace Mordecai ymuld not offer the least salutation, 
utterly ignoring him. Haman had ingratiated himself 
to such a degree in the king’s favor that the king gave 
him the power to exercise his authority in many ques- 
tions of State. 

There was no question as to Haman ’s versatility 
and governing capacity, and had it not been for his 
moral perversity and abnormally developed propensity 
for turpitude, and acumen in subtle duplicity and 
copious cupidity, his real intrinsic merit could never 
have been justly aspersed. 

Haman was enraged because Mordecai would not 
make obeisance to him as he entered the gate. He re- 
solved to plot his death and all of the Jews in the en- 
tire realm. Haman began operations at once. He went 
before the King and informed him that the Jews, of 
whom Mordecai was one, were a people who were not 
observers of his law, and no doubt spoke of their re- 
ligion as well. However, he succeeded in lowering 
them in the King’s estimation by traducing and bely- 
ing them, and even said they were about to revolt. He 
at once suggested a plan whereby they could excul- 
pate them from doing harm and vanquish them into 
eternity besides. He not only volunteered his personal 


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aid, but offered financial aid from his own private 
purse. The king fell in with Haman ’s plan at once and 
told him to proceed, and gave him the imperial seal to 
sign and seal a decree that was to the effect that every 
man, woman and child of Jewish blood in the realm 
was to be massacred on a fixed date, which was seven 
months from the day the decree was handed down. On 
this auspicious day Hainan ’s decree called for the mur- 
der of all of God’s chosen people. 

When the news of the king’s decree had been her- 
alded throughout the realm it caused chaos and con- 
sternation among the Jewish inhabitants, for they 
knew that a decree from the King would never be 
rescinded. They now knew that death and confisca- 
tion of their property was inevitable. The news was 
carried from Shushan where the decree was first pro- 
mulgated, to all parts of the realm. 

The J ews were in a turmoil to know what they could 
do to avoid or escape this climax ; they felt they could 
not bear the disgrace and the ignominious ending any 
better than they could bear the pain of death. However, 
honor and truth are mighty and must prevail. Morde- 
cai was a man who was possessed of both these redeem- 
ing qualities, and with his politic application of these 
proclivities he was destined to be their deliverer. 

Mordecai’s office in the king’s retinue was gate- 
keeper. As soon as he heard of the king’s decree, he 
put aside the king’s livery and robed himself in sack- 
cloth, and sprinkled ashes in his hair, and made suppli- 
cation to the Holy Spirit to aid him to save the lives 
of his kindred. 

Esther, the beautiful queen, had been informed of 
her uncle’s untidy dress. No doubt she was at a loss 
to understand why her uncle dressed so shabbily, and 


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perhaps surmised that he could not afford new and bet- 
ter garments, or she may have thought his wardrobe 
had been stolen. This troubled her and she sent him 
new clothing, which, however, he would not wear. 

At this time Esther was not aware of the decree 
that meant such disaster to her people. Later she re- 
ceived a copy of the decree from Mordeeai’s pen, with 
a letter attached imploring her to not only pray to 
the God of her fathers for his intercession in their be- 
half, but to go in unto the king and make a suppli- 
cation for her people, that he might intercede to save 
their kindred and supplant and confound the perpe- 
trators of this horrible decree, and to invoke the king 
to repudiate the execution of the edict that he had un- 
knowingly ratified. 

At this time the laws in Babylon were despotic. 
It was against the Persian constitution to abrogate, 
quash, or rescind a decree once handed down by the 
king. It was also a crucial act for a queen to go in 
unto the king unpaged or unheralded: if she volun- 
teered to go into the inner court without the king’s 
solicitation she took her life in her hands. Many queens 
have suffered death as a penalty for this breach of 
court etiquette, which was considered by the Persians 
as being a crime worthy of that punishment. 

Although Mordecai knew that Esther would im- 
peril her life by going to the king, he still urged her 
to undertake this jeopardizing procedure. However, all 
monarchs of those days had friends who occasionally 
would venture in this dangerous undertaking, as some- 
times if one entered and came before him unheralded 
and he was pleased by their presence he would welcome 
their intrusion by tendering them a golden sceptre 
which was a sign of welcome. 


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It had been thirty days since Queen Esther had 
been summoned before the King, and she and Morde- 
cai were afraid that it would be many more days be- 
fore he would send for her of his own will and accord. 
However, Mordecai sent her another letter imploring 
her to go before the king, even though death stared her 
in the face, and counsel with him on behalf of her peo- 
ple, and saying to her that it was better to risk one 
life, even though the life of a noble queen and woman, 
than not to try to save the lives of thousands of their 
people. 

Queen Esther decided to act, knowing that this was 
not a reprehensible mission, but on the contrary a godly 
one. She, therefore, sent abroad a request that all her 
people must fast for her, and said that she herself, 
as well as all her ladies in waiting, and lady attendants, 
would do likewise; she decided she would go in unto 
the king, and said, “If I perish, I perish/ ’ Think of 
this noble decision for a moment; in what a nervous 
state of mind and suspense she must have been, this 
sweet woman who was now in the blossom of her 
earthly career and whose life was yet before her. She 
had much to live for, yet she considered she had still 
more to die for. 

Queen Esther donned her royal robes, and her lady 
attendants never before dressed her hair and arranged 
her gowns so becomingly as they did on this occasion. 
No doubt, the nervous strain she was under gave her 
a more graceful bearing and also changed her com- 
plexion from creole to a mixture of lily and rose, while 
her nervous impetuosity must have made her gestures 
and court manners abound in queenly grace and beau- 
ty. This noble queen, repeating the litany to herself, 
entered the king’s inner court. She made obeisance 


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135 


to his royal highness and he with benignant smile ten- 
dered her the golden sceptre. Her heart must have fal- 
len to its normal dwelling place at this presentation; 
she knew the first and most crucial act in the drama 
was over when the king tendered her her life in the 
form of a golden sceptre. 

“What wilt thou Queen Esther, and what is thy 
request? It shall be given thee to the half of the king- 
dom.’ ’ And Esther answered, “If it seem good unto 
the king, let the king and Haman come this day unto 
the banquet that I have prepared for him.” 

The night came on and the king must have had a 
visitation from the host of heaven, for in the morning 
he asked his chroniclers to bring the book of chroni- 
cles and read them to him. This was done, and in the 
course of his reading he perused the record of Morde- 
cai’s confounding the plot to kill him. On hearing 
this read the king inquired what guerdon, if any, this 
man had been rewarded with for his invaluable service. 
“Nothing but the record I have just read,” was the 
recorder’s answer. 

Haman at this time was just about to ask the king 
for permission to hang Mordecai, and as the king asked 
him what would be a fitting reward as a token of ap- 
preciation of loyalty and gratitude to one who had been 
of great service to the king, Haman thinking, of 
course, he was the one referred to, said to the king, 
“Let the royal robes be brought that you, the good 
king, wear on state occasions; also the king’s charger 
and the imperial crown on his head, and let him ride 
through the streets of the city as a prince of the 
realm.” “Noble indeed, so shall it be,” was the king’s 
answer, “Mordecai is one whom I delight in honoring; 
as you have expressed, send for the royal steed and 


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THE HISTORY OP THE BIBLE 


the king’s pageant apparel, worn on ostentatious oc- 
casions, and the crown, and place them on Mordeeai, 
and do him this honor at once.” 

What an invidious feeling Haman must have had! 
He did not dare say no, and Haman was compelled to 
honor Mordeeai in this manner. 

The banquet was on this same day, and the king 
and Haman were there under the graceful hostage of 
Esther. After the banquet the king thanked Esther 
for her gracious hospitality, and asked her if there 
was anything in the world she desired, even to the 
half of his kingdom. 

“Come Esther, dear queen,” he said, “what is thy 
request?” 

She answered, “Dear king, all I ask for is my life, 
and the life of my people, for I am a Jewess. My peo- 
ple are innocent, they are not about to revolt, they are 
satisfied with the law and uphold the king, your majes- 
ty. They have been falsely accused. Let my life be 
given me at my petition, and my people at my request, 
for we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed; to 
be slain, and to perish.” 

The king answered Esther, saying, “Who is he, and 
where is he, that darest in his heart to do so?” 

“The adversary and wicked enemy is Haman,” she 
replied, as she pointed at Haman scornfully. 

The king arose from his seat in agony and passed 
out for a moment, and Haman fell on his knees before 
Esther and begged her to appeal to the king for his 
life, as he knew the king would have him hanged. The 
king said as he heard Haman ’s appeal to Esther, “Will 
he force the queen also before me in the house?” The 
eunuchs were called in and Haman was given over to 


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137 


them and was hanged on the scaffold that he had made 
for Mordecai. 

As I have said before, the king’s decree could not 
be changed, so messengers were sent throughout the 
realm informing the Jews to fight, to destroy and to 
slay any and all that attacked them on that day. On 
the 13th day of Adar, which is March, Mordecai was 
raised second in power to the king, and a decree was 
issued that on the 14th and 15th days of Adar all the 
Jews should keep the feast of Purim in commemora- 
tion of the deliverance of the godly chosen by the 
woman and queen, whose life is synonymous to the Vir- 
gin Mary ; Esther was exempt of the rigors of the Per- 
sian law, the blessed Virgin was exempt from original 
sin ; Esther saved her people, Mary gave a Saviour to 
the world; Mordecai was the guardian of Esther, Jo- 
seph was the guardian of Mary; Mordecai was placed 
in the highest office of State, Joseph holds one of the 
highest places in heaven. 


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CHAPTER XIV. 

JONAH. 

Jonah was the next great prophet chosen by God 
after the death of Elisha. Jonah felt that because he 
was a Jew and one of God’s chosen, that he did not 
care to go to Nineveh, Assyria, where God had com- 
manded him to go among people who were heathens, 
and who would throw out imprecations against his God 
and himself as well. 

It is thought by some historians that Jonah was 
the son of the widow whom Elijah brought back to 
life, after he had accepted of her hospitality. Many 
historians have also said that Job was one and the same 
as Melehizedeck, King of Salem, priest of the most 
high God who anointed Abraham, but this is only Jew- 
ish tradition. 

However, going back to Jonah: Jonah wished Nine- 
veh would perish as he did not want to go there, so 
contrary to God’s order he went in the opposite di- 
rection. He went to Joffa and took a ship for Tarsus, 
and after they had been at sea a few hours the sea 
became very rough, and Jonah and the sailors became 
frightened, and the ship was in danger of being lost. 
The people on the boat felt that there was some one 
aboard who was the cause of the terrible storm. 

Jonah was lying in his berth sleeping, not in the 
least disturbed by the storm, while the rest of the 
passengers and crew were terribly frightened. They 
finally cast lots to find out who was the cause of this 


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139 


storm, and their consequent peril, and the Maine fell 
upon Jonah. He then confessed that he was trying 
to flee from work that God had assigned him in Nine- 
veh, as his prophet, and he told the crew of the vessel 
to cast him into the sea. 

Jonah was cast out into the sea and immediately the 
sea became calm. The Lord had prepared a fish 
which swallowed Jonah, and for three days and nights 
he remained in the fish, praying continually to the 
Lord for help. God heard his prayers and on the 
third day the fish vomited up Jonah on dry land. 

God again -told Jonah that he must go to Nineveh 
and prophesy, and say to them, “Yet forty days and 
nights and ye shall be destroyed.” When the people 
of Nineveh heard Jonah they believed him, and felt 
sure that he was speaking the truth and that he was 
truly a servant of God. They then believed in God 
and repented of their sins, and clothed themselves in 
sack-cloth and put ashes on their heads. The king is- 
sued a proclamation commanding every one to aban- 
don his sins. The king thought by so doing the Lord 
would grant them a reprieve and might spare their 
city altogether. 

God saw they were really repentant and did avert 
the calamity that would otherwise have befallen them. 
Jonah was then afraid that the people would think that 
they would not have been harmed anyway if they had 
persisted in their sins, and fearing he would be con- 
demned by the people as a false prophet he went to the 
extreme end of the city, outside the walls, and built 
himself a small booth to live in. During the night a 
vine grew up over this booth, and a large gourd was 
on the vine, and this shaded him from the extreme 
heat of the Oriental sun. Jonah was much gratified at 


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this, but his gratification was shortlived for the vine’s 
life was ephemeral, as God had prepared a worm that 
ate the root of the vine and it withered. 

Then the hot winds from the southeast, and the 
sun’s rays beat upon the prophet’s head until he was 
so disconsolate that he desired to die. However, he 
was reconciled by the Lord, who told him that he should 
not be grieved and dejected for the loss of a single 
ivy that he himself had never planted or made to grow, 
and said, “What is an ivy to a large city like Nineveh? 
Should I not sacrifice the ivy for the one hundred and 
twenty thousand people in this city?” 

Jonah preferred to be proven right in his prophe- 
cies than to have the many people of Nineveh saved 
from suffering and death. 


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CHAPTER XV. 

ISRAEL AND JUDEA FROM EZECHIAS TO THE 
CAPTIVITY. 

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Levi, and Moses were the 
patriarchs, and were the instigators, or instruments 
in the Lord’s hands, that founded Israel, Judah, and 
Judaism. They were just, God-fearing men, and dis- 
charged the duties entrusted to them to the best of 
their ability and understanding. 

After they had the promise from the Lord, or the 
charter from him in the form of a promised land, they 
gathered the people together and started them on their 
way to the land of promise, and on their way the law 
of heaven and earth was given to them. These gover- 
nors were called patriarchs. 

After reaching the promised land they were called 
judges. The first judge of Israel was Joshua, and he 
in time conquered all the country, and by equal divi- 
sion divided the land between the twelve tribes of Is- 
rael. Each tribe bore the name according to the twelve 
sons of Jacob, or Israel. 

After the judges came the kings, of whom the ma- 
jority were corrupt leaders, and who caused God to 
curse their country for their idolatrous worship of 
false gods, especially from Jeroboam until the captivi- 
ty. Although some of the kings of Judah were noble, 
God-fearing and God-loving princes, many times their 
fathers were idolatrous and corrupt rulers. 


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In the past I have spoken of nearly all of the kings 
of Judah and of Israel. We come now to the just and 
noble Prince Ezechias. He ascended the throne of Ju- 
dah about seven hundred years before Christ. He abol- 
ished idolatry, and did all he could to purify his king- 
dom. Judah, during his reign, rose in both power and 
influence. God shielded him from the King of Assyria, 
Sennacherib, for when he invaded Judah and laid 
siege to Jerusalem, Ezechias was not particularly 
alarmed, for he felt that the Lord would help him and 
his people. When they were besieging the city Ezechi- 
as went into the temple and prayed to God to help him 
save Judah from the belligerent Assyrian king. He 
also had his priests in their holy robes invoke Isaiah, 
the prophet, to pray for the preservation of the House 
of David. 

Their prayers were answered. The Lord sent his 
angels into the camp of the enemy at night, and 180,- 
000 were slain, and all of the rest of Sennacherib’s 
army perished in their flight. Ezechias, after this, was 
very sick and the prophet Isaiah told him he had better 
arrange matters, as he would not live long. He at once 
turned his face to the temple and prayed that he might 
be spared. Again his prayers were answered, for he 
lived fifteen years after this and died one of the most 
prosperous of all Judah’s kings. 

Manasses was his son and successor to the throne 
of Judah. He was a bloodthirsty and wicked king. He 
rebuilt the altars that his father had torn down. His 
people became more sinful than even the pagans were. 
Although the prophet Jeremiah told them of their ulti- 
mate destruction if they did not repent, it had but lit- 
tle weight with them, and God permitted this wicked 
king to fall into the hands of the Assyrians, and he was 


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143 


led into captivity to Babylon. In Babylon he was taught 
to realize that the most high God ruled, and he became 
a better man, and was released from captivity and 
went back to Jerusalem where he made restitution for 
his sinful past. His son Ammon was fully as wicked 
as his father. 

Josiah, the son of Ammon, was a good king and 
strove to repair the wrongs of his forefathers. He 
died after he had reigned eight years. He was suc- 
ceeded by Joachim, Joahaz and Sedechias, all of whom 
were wicked princes, and by their idolatry brought the 
wrath of God upon themselves, and to punish them they 
were led into captivity to Babylon. From this time 
on there were many great prophets among the Jews. 
Josiah was the last of the good kings of Judah before 
Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, besieged Jerusalem 
and carried back to his capital all of the best men of 
the country of Judah, and also the sacred vessels of 
the Holy of Holies out of the temple of Solomon, and 
stripped everything of value from this beautiful struc- 
ture. This was in the year 606 before Christ. Several 
years after this Nebuchadnezzar returned to Jerusalem 
and carried Jechonias the king back with him to Baby- 
lon. This time he took with him many more of the 
citizens of Judah. 

Sedechias, an idolatrous king, Nebuchadnezzar left 
on the throne with his instructions, but he did not fol- 
low them and revolted against Nebuchadnezzar’s rule. 
Nebuchadnezzar returned for the third time and de- 
stroyed the temple of Solomon and the entire city of 
Jerusalem, and at this time carried all the Jews back to 
Babylon with him, excepting those who went into vol- 
untary exile. He put the king’s eyes out and carried 
him to Babylon, because he had revolted against him. 


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Jeremiah’s prophecy was now fulfilled, for the Jews 
were now in captivity. He lamented at Jerusalem when 
he looked upon the ruins of the city of glory and of 
God, saying, “How sorrowful, alas! are the ways that 
lead to Mount Moriah. There are now none to come 
to the feast, and the gates of the city are destroyed. 
The priests weep, the virgins are without ornaments. 
Oh, you who pass by the way, see if there is sorrow like 
unto my sorrow. Alas ! is this the city of magnificence, 
the perfect in beauty, the joy of the world?” 

The captivity of the Jews was a blessing to many 
of them, for they now could see that the most high 
God ruled, and after they saw that their prophet’s 
words were the words of the Lord they lamented for 
their Judah and Jerusalem of the West, and they 
cried, “By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept, 
when we remembered Zion.” 

A few years before the captivity of Judah, Sal- 
manasar, King of Assyria, came with a powerful army 
and laid siege to Samaria, the capital of Israel at that 
time, and took the greatest portion of the population 
to Assyria as captives. What few remained of the old 
faith, consequently changed their religion to that of 
the country they were now in, and ultimately they all 
died away, and never returned to Israel. Their child- 
ren associated themselves with the pagan ideas of the 
other countries, and were thus lost to history and per- 
ished forever. This was the end of the ten tribes of 
Israel. 


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145 


CHAPTER XVI. 

DANIEL IN BABYLON. 

Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, was an Instru- 
ment in the Lord’s hands to prove the words of his 
prophets, and to show that He reigned supreme over 
Judah and all the world. 

Many of those who were the king’s captives at 
Babylon were God-fearing men, and men of God. Dan- 
iel was the most dominant of all, and was not kept in 
prison, but on the contrary was allowed to be educat- 
ed in the same way as the Chaldean population. 

One thing that was hard for Daniel to acquire, and 
that he would not be taught, was the pagan religion, 
and he also objected to their way of living. The Jews 
had been accustomed to feed on meat killed by the 
Levites, and meat otherwise killed was unclean to 
them, as they felt they would sully their souls by 
partaking of it, as well as many other edibles that 
were prepared, such as pork and butter, which they 
loathed and would suffer death before eating. 

Daniel, with his three Jewish friends, who were 
also in captivity, were kept in the king’s palace as his 
hostages. They would not eat the food provided for' 
them, excepting some vegetables. The chef being 
afraid that their emaciated bodies would betray the 
fact that they ate but very little, told Daniel that they 
would have to eat the meat as the other occupants of 
the palace were in the habit of eating. Daniel asked 
the chef to try them a few days, and if they did not 


146 


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improve on the vegetable diet they would eat the food 
they were asked to eat. The chef agreed to this, and 
in a few days they were looking much better than the 
other members of the king’s household. 

After Daniel had resided in Babylon many years, 
he was appointed to fill one of the highest offices in 
the country. Assyria had undergone a change. Cyrus 
had conquered the city of Babylon, and Darius the 
Mede, who had also fought against Babylon, was now 
on the throne. 

The Medes and Persians were fire worshippers, as 
the Parsees are. Fire was a symbol of the creator, or 
God, and fire being sacred to them they would not 
execute criminals with it, as the Babylonians were ac- 
customed to doing. Their method of punishment was 
to throw their victims into the lions’ den and allow 
them to be devoured. 

Daniel at this time had regal power over all of 
the governors of the many states of the realm. His 
merit as a man of good judgment, as well as sterling 
qualities, gave him prestige and favor in the eyes of 
Darius, the King. This caused jealousy among the 
other lords and governors under him, and they set 
about to conspire against him to belittle him in the 
estimation of the king. They tried to cause him to 
break some of the minor laws of the country, but 
they did not succeed; he was a holy man and did not 
care for worldly gifts or possessions, consequently he 
could not be bribed. 

They were unable to get any evidence against him 
that they might use to further their infamous end. 
They noticed, however, that Daniel prayed daily to 
his God with his face towards Jerusalem, and they at 
once decided they could show evidence of a crime. 


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147 


They all went to the King and persuaded him to issue a 
proclamation that no one in the realm should petition 
any thing, human or divine, for thirty days, excepting 
the king. After this proclamation was issued they 
went to the king again and told him of Daniel's 
prayers to his God, each day with his face toward 
J erusalem. 

A Persian decree can never be rescinded in Persian 
jurisprudence, and the kings are worshipped as earth- 
ly deities. So the men said to the king, “Did you not 
issue a decree to the effect that no one shall petition 
anything, mortal or divine, excepting the king, for 
thirty days?” The king replied, “I did.” Then they 
told him of Daniel praying to his God. 

When Darius had made this decree, he had not 
thought his worthy servant Daniel would be the vic- 
tim of it, and had he had any idea of this he would 
perhaps never have issued such a decree, for he loved 
Daniel. However, the law was now extant, and the 
law having been violated and the victim at hand, the 
penalty provided by their despotic law must be exe- 
cuted, or the king would be called a weak, incapable 
monarch. Daniel was, therefore, arrested and cast into 
the lions' den. 

It is evident that Darius favored Daniel, for when 
he had been cast into the den Darius went to his palace 
and would not be comforted. After Daniel had been 
in the lions' den for several days, Darius went early 
in the morning and stood outside of the den, and called, 
“Oh, Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God 
whom thou servest continually able to deliver you from 
the lions?” Daniel answered, “Oh, King, live for- 
ever! My God has sent his angel and has shut the 
lions’ mouths that they have not hurt me, forasmuch 


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as before him innocence was found in me, and also 
before thee, Oh, King, have I done no hurt.” 

Darius said to him, “Peace be multiplied unto you. 
Darius the king of the Medes and Persians makes the 
decree that men tremble before the God of Daniel, for 
his is the living God and steadfast forever, and his 
kingdom shall not be destroyed and his dominions 
shall be even unto the end.” 

Daniel was taken up out of the den, and his ac- 
cusers, with their wives and families, were cast in, 
and the lions consumed them with ravenous greed. 
When Daniel had been in the den the lions laid down 
at his side and purred like pet kittens, for even a dumb 
brute would not eat Daniel’s holy flesh. 


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149 


CHAPTER XVII. 

BELSHAZZAR’S FEAST. 

Daniel had interpreted several dreams for Nebu- 
chadnezzar, and in one of them had told him he would 
eat grass 1 with the oxen ; that God had made him and 
exalted him and that the same God would abase him; 
he would convince him that the living and true God 
was the supreme ruler of heaven and earth. 

This interpretation had proven correct in every de- 
tail, and had given Daniel a reputation as an inter- 
preter of dreams. After Daniel had made known the 
dream he asked the king to try to break off from his 
sinful life, and his oppressions of his people, and to 
expiate the past. He, however, considered that his 
power was too great for even God to overcome, and 
would not give up his wicked ways. While he was in 
his palace a voice from heaven came to him, and told 
him that his kingdom had departed from him, and 
that he should be driven from among men, and his 
dwelling should be with the beasts of the field, “until 
thou knowest the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of 
men.” 

Shortly after this prophecy Nebuchadnezzar was 
taken with a fit of madness, and for years was in this 
condition, and he did eat with the oxen and they 
passed over his body seven times. At the expiration of 
the seven years he realized that the Most High God 
ruled. He was again raised to his throne, and had 


150 


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wealth and honor. During his seven years absence, his 
son, Evil-Merodach, reigned in his stead. 

Nebonidus was king after the death of his father 
Nebuchadnezzar. He did not spend much time at the 
capitol, but lived in a small city in the country, called 
Tama, while his brother Belshazzar remained in Baby- 
lon to take care of State affairs. It is believed that on 
account of war between Persia and Babylon Neboni- 
dus was afraid to remain in the capitol and therefore 
sought shelter in case of war, out upon the plains of 
Mesopotamia. However, it is an historical fact that 
Nebonidus personally was seldom at the palace in 
Babylon. 

The city’s wall at this time was considered invul- 
nerable, and the inhabitants could hold out for many 
years in case they were besieged by the enemy. The 
city was watered by the canal that was made through 
the city, with large gates that could be closed over 
the canal, and they had large tracts of land within 
the walls that could be cultivated in case of war. The 
people consequently felt very secure. 

In spite of the fact that war was inevitable, revel- 
ry was in vogue in every art of pleasure, especially the 
feast of Tammuz, which was now being held at the 
palace. 

At this feast Belshazzar, who was now on the 
throne at Babylon, was raised above the many lords, 
ladies, chancellors, chroniclers, scribes, soothsayers, 
magicians and astrologers on an improvised throne. 
They were about to have a glorious banquet, and the 
king asked for the cups of gold that had been taken 
from Solomon’s temple, the Holy of Holies, and they 
desecrated them with their toasts and their heathen 


wine. 





















DANIEL INTERPRETING 




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151 


As they drank from the cups they consecrated them 
to the pagan gods. As the king did this his joints 
became loosened and he and his many guests, saw 
the fingers of a man’s hand writing upon the wall, 
these Hebrew characters, “MENE, MENE, TEKEL, 
UPHARSIN.” 

The king was very much frightened and asked that 
the words be interpreted, for he knew that there was 
some deep significance to them. The soothsayers and 
astrologers and many of the frightened citizens, at- 
tempted to interpret the writing, and all failed to make 
known to the king its ominous meaning. Of a sudden 
one of the guests thought of the prophet Daniel and told 
the king that he knew of a man who could interpret the 
handwriting on the wall. The king asked who it was, 
and he told him Daniel, so Daniel was sent for at 
once. 

When Daniel entered the king told him if he could 
read the writing on the wall and make known the in- 
terpretion, he would have him greatly rewarded for it. 
Daniel told him to give the reward to some one else, 
but he would make known the interpretation thereof. 

Daniel then informed the king that his father Neb- 
uchadnezzar had been compelled to humble himself 
before God for his sins, and that he (Belshazzar) had 
not humbled himself as he should have done with his 
father for example, and had lifted him up against 
the Lord and had brought his vessels from the tem- 
ple of Solomon at Jerusalem and drank wine in them, 
and made toasts to their gods that neither heard, saw, 
nor spoke, and “the God in whose hand thy breath 
is you have not glorified. He then proceeded to in- 
terpret the writing on the wall. “MENE, MENE; the 
kingdom is numbered and ended. TEKEL ; it is weighed 


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and found light. UPHARSIN ; it is divided and given 
to the Medes and Persians .’ ’ 

At this same hour Cyrus, king of Persia, had let 
the water from the canal in a low spot, or basin, by 
digging canals, and had entered the city by boats 
under the gates of the canal. After the water was 
lowered they entered the city and the palace and 
slew Belshazzar the king, and many of the citizens, and 
Darius, of the Medes, was made king. 


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153 


CHAPTER XVIII. 

SHADRACH, MESHACH, AND ABED-NEGO IN 
THE FIERY FURNACE. 

Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had conquered 
many nations physically, and now he determined to 
conquer their souls as well. He determined to set up 
a large statue in the desert on what was called the 
Plain of Dura. This statue, which was made of gold 
and brass, was dedicated to the god Belus. He also 
issued a proclamation that on a certain date, at the 
beating of drums and blowing of horns, all the citizens, 
large and small, low and high, should kneel and make 
obeisance to this pagan god. 

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, the three 
Jews in captivity from Judah, peremptorily refused to 
worship his hand-made god. Their refusal caused 
the king great anger, and he told them he would put 
them in the furnace and burn them to ashes unless 
they obeyed him. 

No doubt they were reconciled, and afforded con- 
solation by the words of the prophet, “When thou 
walkest through the fire thou shalt not be burned.” 

When the king warned them of their impending 
doom if they did not abide by his wish and law, they 
only said, “If it be so, our God, whom we serve, is able 
to deliver us from the burning, fiery furnace.” 

This enraged the king to his full capacity of anger, 
and he at once ordered the furnace to be heated seven 


154 


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times as hot as at other times, and the three men cast 
in. The king had a seat near by to watch the pyrecide of 
the three holy men, that is he expected to see them 
consumed. He was startled when he looked into the 
furnace and beheld four men instead of three. He at 
once asked, “Did you not cast three men, bound, in 
the fiery furnace?’ ’ “True, 0, king,” answered his 
counsellors. “But I see four in the furnace, and the 
fourth is like one of the sons of the gods, and all of 
them have no hurt on them.” 

He called, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, 
come forth from the midst of the fire.” 

As he spoke they walked out unharmed. 

The king proclaimed, and handed down in the form 
of a decree, the king’s living testimony, that was to be 
from this day a law “that every people and nation that 
speak anything against the God who delivered these 
three men from the fiery furnace shall be cut to pieces, 
for there is no other god that can deliver in this sort. ’ ’ 
This is the last known of these three men whose 
bodies were used by their God to prove to a pagan 
monarch, that God is Lord, and not a statue of gold 
and brass. 


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155 


CHAPTER XIX. 

JUDITH. 

After the captivity, when the Jews had re-establish- 
ed themselves again in Judea, Holofernas, an Assyrian 
general invaded Jerusalem with a powerful force. He 
crushed many of the smaller cities and did much dam- 
age to larger ones. He laid siege to Bethulia, and cut 
off their water supply by destroying their aqueducts. 
While they were in this strait, relief was accomplished 
through the cupidity of a woman. This woman was a 
young and beautiful widow. Judith was wealthy and 
very attractive, also a woman of good morals and one 
who loved her God. She saw what a distressed condi- 
tion her country and people were in, and at once 
resolved that she would vindicate her grievance. She 
robed herself in her best gowns and made herself look 
as entrancing as possible. She then with her servant 
went to the Assyrian camp; when Holofernas saw her 
he was at once taken with her and invited her into the 
tent. She then gained his confidence and would go 
to and fro to visit the camp ; he informed his men that 
she could come and go at will without any interference 
or questioning. 

A few days after she made this impression on him, 
Holofernas gave a banquet to all the chief officers of 
his army and Judith was invited. She encouraged him 
to drink wine at the banquet to excess; he became 
drunk and laid down to sleep. This was late in the 
night, and all was perfectly quiet about the camp. 


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Judith’s time had come; this was the moment she had 
prayed for so long. She reached to the tent post 
where his sword was hanging, and unsheathing it 
quietly gave a terrible swing with her entire force and 
his head rolled from his body. She took the head of 
Holofernas and placed it in a bag her servant had out- 
side of the tent, and went back to her home to exhibit 
her trophy. They all praised the Lord for delivering 
them out of the Assyrian’s hands. This encouraged 
the Jews, and they went against the Assyrians with 
determination, and the Assyrians having no leader 
were soon overthrown and driven back to their own 
country. 


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157 


CHAPTER XX. 

ZOROB ABEL’S RETURN TO JERUSALEM FROM 
CAPTIVITY. 

The Jews had been in captivity seventy years, as 
the prophets told them. They knew now the time was 
up and they felt like returning to Judea. Artaxerxes, 
king of the Medes and Persians, took compassion on 
them, and in the year 522 before Christ, issued an edict 
to the effect that the Jews might return to Jerusalem 
and build their temple to the Lord. Under a prince 
of the people who was from the royal line of David, 
the Jews were led back to Jerusalem. This prince was 
Zorobabel. Forty thousand Jews went with him. The 
king gave him many provisions and also gave him all 
of the sacred vessels that had been taken from the 
temple by Nebuchadnezzar. The first thing they did 
in Jerusalem, after reaching the Holy City, was to 
erect an altar to their God; it took twenty-one years 
to build the temple, and when it was finished the 
people who had seen the old temple lamented, for they 
said it was not to compare with the temple of Solomon. 

After the temple was constructed Esdras, a priest, 
came to Jerusalem with many thousand Jews that still 
remained in Babylon. Nehemias was his colleague 
and friend, and they did what they could to teach the 
people the law of their forefathers, and tried to get 
them from the life and religion they had been used to 
in Babylon. 


158 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


Nehemias, encouraged by preaching with all his 
force and eloquence to rebuild Jerusalem, and also 
encouraged every one, both priest and peasant, to help 
lay the walls of the city. They worked so fast that in 
fifty-two days the wall was completed. The city was 
finally rebuilt and the Samaritans were now so afraid 
they would cause them trouble that they decided to 
interfere, but God prevented their molestation, and 
Judah was once more a flourishing state. 


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159 


CHAPTER XXI. 

THE PROPHETS FROM THE CAPTIVITY UNTIL 
CHRIST. 

During the captivity the prophets who encouraged 
the Jews by their prophecies, were Jeremiah, Daniel 
and Ezekiel. After they returned to Jerusalem there 
were other prophets that the Lord had provided for 
his chosen. There were Aggens and Zacharias; they 
prophesied that the Messiah would, in the future, enter 
this new temple that they had just finished. This en- 
couraged the people so that they worked with great 
rapidity. Though the temple was not to be as magnifi- 
cent in architecture, they knew it would be more 
beautiful in glory. “The glory of the second temple 
will be far greater than the first,” they said, for they 
knew the Messiah would some day enter into this one. 

The last of the prophets was Malachias, whose book 
is the last in the Old Testament. He lived about four 
hundred years before Christ. He loathed the hypocri- 
sies of the time. His greatest prophecy was that God 
would reject the sacrifices of the law of Moses, and 
would institute a new one that would not cease from 
the rising until the setting of the sun. This was ful- 
filled by the sacrifice of mass, or the transubstantiation 
of Christ’s flesh and blood in wine and bread. 

Probably the first translation of the Old Testament 
was in the year 233 and 234 B. C. by the Greeks. This 
translation is known as the Septuagen. Greek at this 


160 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


time was universally spoken, and the Bible being 
translated at this time acquainted the people with the 
Scriptures throughout the world. The pagans now 
knew of the prophecies of the Messiah that was to 
come, as well as the Jews did themselves. At this time 
a Jew by the name of Jesus, the son of Sirach, wrote 
the book of Ecclesiastes, which is a book of pious 
thoughts, many of which are often quoted as proverbs : 

“Vanity of vanities, all is Vanity.” 

“There is no new thing under the sun.” 

“In much wisdom is much grief.” 

“He that increaseth knowledge increaseth 
sorrow.” 


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161 


CHAPTER XXII. 

INCIDENTS AFTER THE CAPTIVITY OF JUDAH. 

Three hundred and thirty-three years before Christ, 
Alexander the Great, son of Philip of Macedonia, con- 
quered Persia. Persia had ruled over the Jews ever 
since Cyrus, and from this date they fell into the hands 
of the kings of Egypt, and then into the hands of the 
Syrians. Antiochus was King of Syria at this time. 
He was a despotic ruler, and one of the most cruel 
kings in the annals of kingly leadership. He burned 
all of the records and sacred books of the Jews, and 
would not allow any of them to worship the religion 
of their forefathers. Many of the Jews became rene- 
gades to their former faith, and many remained faith- 
ful even unto death to their faith in Judaism. 

Among the faithful was one Eleazar. Antiochus 
commanded him to eat meat that the Jews call 
unclean, that of swine. Eleazar was a very old man, 
and when his friends told him he would be killed if he 
refused, and also told him to pretend to eat the meat, 
he told them “I may deceive men but I cannot deceive 
God,” and that w r ould not be a good example to set 
for others. The old man was slain. 

The seven Maccabees were others who suffered 
martyrdom at the hands of this cruel king. When 
these children with their mother were ordered to eat 
the meat of swine they refused, saying they would not 
break the laws of their God. The king had them 
scourged, but they still refused to comply with his 


162 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


orders. The tongue of the oldest one was cut out, and 
even then refused. They mutilated their faces and cut 
off their hands, and still refused. The mother stand- 
ing by them encouraged them with the hope of heaven 
or a better world if they died for the cause. All six 
of the older children were finally killed; only the 
youngest remained. The king failing by torture on 
the six to bring them to abide by his will, tried to win 
the youngest by other means; he offered her honor, 
power and riches, but the child refused and said, “No 
I will serve my God.” The child was slain in a terri- 
ble manner, and also the mother. This was the ending 
of the seven Maccabees. 

Judas Mattathias, who for his bravery and religious 
assiduity was given the appellation of “Judas Macca- 
beus” was the vanquisher of Antiochus’ generals. He 
reconquered the Holy City and purified the temple. 
Antiochus was so wrought up on account of the loss 
of Judah that he led the army himself to besiege Jeru- 
salem and destroy the Holy City if he could. God saw 
fit to take the life of this cruel king, and must have 
caused him to fall from his chariot, which injured him 
to the extent that as time went on, with the diseased 
blood he had flowing through his veins, his wounds 
never healed, and he died in agony. He is conceded to 
be the most cruel of all the ancient kings. His sons 
strove to take up the thread where he had left off, and 
they went against the Maccabees who had grown to 
be a great power in Judah under the generalship of 
Judas Maccabeus. The Maccabees trusted in God in 
their conquests, and when they met Antiochus’ forces 
in the field of battle, in the heat of the engagement 
there came from heaven five men with armour that was 
gilded with the sunlight. Their horses were harnessed 


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163 


with gold shields. These men from heaven sided with 
Judah’s men and trampled the enemy to death. The 
lightning flashed and killed thousands and put them 
to rout; they left six thousand cavalry upon the field 
dead and dying. Judah was once more free and in the 
hands of the godly chosen. After the death of Judas 
Maccabeus his brothers and their sons were one after 
the other placed upon the throne of Judah. From 
Judas Maccabeus the powerful organization of Macca- 
bees originated. Under their godly rule Judah became 
a flourishing nation, until the people became divided 
into parties. Social and political troubles grew out 
of their religious views and polemics. 

One of the parties was hypocritical, or the Phar- 
isees, the other the incredulous or Sadducees. The 
former outwardly pretended to be followers of the 
law of Moses, or what was called Zealots, apparently 
they were, but were not sincere. The latter denied 
the greater part of the law, not believing in the resur- 
rection of the dead. Judah was the only one in the 
whole body of the tribes of Israel, or the world, that 
clung to the old faith at all. Suffering and cruelty, 
feudalism, thraldom and serfdom were now extant 
throughout the entire world. Good men who wished 
and prayed for death, rather than live in this unhappy 
sinful world, prayed for the fulfillment of the words 
of the prophets that was to come in the form of the 
Messiah. War continued in Judah, civil as well as 
international; sorrow, pestilence and plague, murder, 
rapine and idolatry continued also until the Romans 
took possession. 

After trying to arbitrate between the two political 
and religious factions of the day, Judah became a 
vassal to the imperial crown of Rome, and during the 


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THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


reign of Caesar Augustus, Herod was made king of the 
Jews. Thus perished the kingdom of Judah forever; 
but the prophecy was true ; the Messiah came, the Son 
of God in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, who came 
not to tear down the old law, but to abrogate, amend 
and give the world a new and better one, and purify 
the body for earth and redeem the soul for heaven. To 
Him be praise and benediction forever and ever, for He 
blessed and saved the world. Blessed be the name of 
Him in whom we know “that our Redeemer liveth.” 

Amen. 































































































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ECCE HOMO 



THE HISTORY OP THE BIBLE 


165 


Through Him we’ll find eternal grace, 

By Him we’ll solve the mystery. 

When we meet Him “face to face,” 

’Twill prove his Holy History. 

With Him we’ll find the blessed blest, 

With God the living Heavenly Host, 

In Him we’ll find eternal rest, 

In “Father,” “Son” and “Holy Ghost.” 

By one through one Heaven — Earth as won, 
There’ll be no choice of goal, 

When His campaign of love is done 
One bourne there’ll be for flesh and soul. 


166 


THE HISTORY OP THE BIBLE 


CHAPTER XXIII. 

THE NEW TESTAMENT 

One can not conceive why the Jews should not 
acknowledge Christ as the Messiah. Before Christ 
they were the chosen ones. In reading the history of 
the Hebrew race and of the Israelites one can not help 
but come to the conclusion that God was partial to the 
Jews, and after all that he had done for them, and the 
favor he had shown by sending his only son born of, 
and fostered by, the royal blood of the Hebrew race, 
they will not claim him as the Messiah and still think 
the real Messiah is yet to come. The story of the New 
Testament is but a sequel to the old; they fit in 
together and have an analagous and symmetrical 
meaning one to the other. The prophecies of the Old 
Testament are proof enough that Christ is the Son of 
God. The following are some of the prophecies of the 
coming of our Saviour Jesus Christ: 

4 ‘For a child is to be born to us! A son is to be 
given to us! His name shall be called Wonderful 
Counsellor, God the Mighty, the Father of the World 
to come, the Prince of Peace.” (Isa., IX, 6.) 

“The sceptre shall not be taken away from Judah 
till he come that is to be sent; and he shall be the 
expectation of nations.” (Gen., XLIX, 10.) 

“And there shall come forth a rod from the root 
of Jesse, and a flower shall rise up out of his root.” 
(Isa., XI, 1.) 


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167 


“In that day the root of Jesse shall be for an 
ensign before the people; the Gentiles shall beseech 
him and his sepulcher shall be glorious.' ' (Isa., XI, 
10 .) 

Christ’s entrance into Jerusalem. “Rejoice, 0, 
daughters of Zion; shout for joy! Behold thy King 
will come to thee, the Just and Saviour. He is poor 
and riding on an ass. He shall speak peace to the 
Gentiles and his power shall be from sea to sea and 
from the rivers even to the end of the earth.” (Zech., 
IX, 910.) 

Surely the Jews should have known there was 
heavenly inspiration in the oracles and prophecies, or 
they could not have prophesied so accurately. How- 
ever, for their incredulity and casting their inheritance 
to the four winds that God so willingly gave them, they 
now, as he told them they should be, are scattered 
over the face of the earth without country or home, 
fugitives from the law of their Saviour, and always 
will be, even though the Lord Almighty sent his only 
Son Jesus Christ to die for all, both Jew and Gentile. 
The old law had become antiquated and it became neces- 
sary to amend it, and add to, and also inaugurate a 
new sacrifice of his flesh and blood through bread and 
wine. This transubstantiates the bread and wine, 
after it has been blessed, into the flesh and blood of 
our Saviour. The time had come when they were to 
make no more bloody sacrifices of oxen and he-goats, 
and many other wasteful ways of manifesting their 
reverence for the Lord. The Jews would not support 
Christ ; consequently the Gentiles have been the build- 
ers and maintainers of Christianity. 

Circumcision was one of the first questions to be 
settled when the twelve disciples started out to 


168 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


proselyte. They agreed to meet at Jerusalem, and 
under the leadership of St. Peter decide whether a 
Gentile should be circumcised to come into the Church. 
When the question was propounded St. Peter rose and 
said: “As God hath made no difference between the 
Jew and the Gentile, giving the Holy Ghost to the one 
as well as to the other, there should be no difference 
within the Church ; nor should the law of circumcision 
be imposed upon anyone.’ ’ From this time on this was 
followed out, and the ancient ceremonial laws of 
Moses lost their vogue at once. Thus a complete revo- 
lution of the old law must go into effect to follow the 
doctrines of Christ, of the new law, wnich is meek, 
tender and sweet, as he and his every action was on 
earth. 


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169 


CHAPTER XXIV. 

JOHN THE BAPTIST. 

John the Baptist’s years of solitude were a true 
exemplification of man’s spiritual attainments and 
godly munificence acquired by his self isolation in the 
wilderness, surrounded by wild animals and primeval 
nature ; also robing himself in skins of beasts and main- 
taining life by feeding himself on fruits and nature’s 
prepared condiments. 

By living away from the unwholesome and polluting 
environments of mankind, where his prayers and 
heavenly invocation could go on undisturbed — here he 
could come nearer to nature and to God. In a cave 
surrounded by wilderness, John the Baptist spent years 
in constant theophany, preparing himself for the divine 
mission to which God had ordained him. His prospec- 
tive and retrospective mind must have coached him in 
his monastic years. He must have intuitively felt that 
he was appointed as the advance guard in Christ’s 
great spiritual campaign, as he proved to be the com- 
mendable self-abnegated fore-runner to prepare the 
way and baptize the Son of God. 

Zacharias and' his wife Elizabeth were very old 
when John, who was called the Baptist, was born. 
After John had reached the age of seventeen he went 
into the desert and lived like the Bedouins ; he remained 
there for years in prayer, to come nearer to his God 
and nature, that he might do penance and prepare 


170 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


himself for the work that God had in store for him. 
As the prophet Malachi said, “I will send my angel 
and will prepare the way before me.” 

Only a few months after the birth of John the 
Baptist, a young virgin in Nazareth of Galilee, from 
the royal family, was at prayer when Gabriel, the 
archangel, came to her and said, “Hail, full of grace, 
the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women.” 
Mary did not know what this could mean, and while 
she was in silent meditation, the angel continued to 
say that the Messiah was about to come to bless the 
world, and that she was to be the mother. Mary said 
to the angel that she was a virgin and knew not man. 
The angel then said, “The Holy Ghost will come upon 
thee and the power of the Most High will overshadow 
thee, and the Holy One born of you will be called the 
Son of God.” 

From this time, or from the time she conceived with 
the Holy Ghost, she crushed the serpent’s head. Woman 
killed the animal that tempted woman to wrong her- 
self and to wrong man. Eve being influenced by the 
serpent in the Garden of Paradise, which caused shame 
to come upon them and caused God to make the serpent 
to lay in the dust and eat dust, and be hunted and hated 
by mankind, is now crushed. The wrong is righted. 
Mary, in giving birth to the Saviour, reclaimed woman 
and fulfilled the promise that “from a woman shall 
come a son that wull conquer Satan.” 

Mary was of medium height, with blonde hair and 
hazel eyes, a reticent, retiring, modest girl, marked 
with sobriety of temperament and habit. She was a 
very beautiful girl. Joseph was betrothed to her at 
the time of her conception with the Holy Ghost. Joseph 
was a true, kind and upright man. God had informed 
























THE NATIVITY 


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171 


him that the girl he was about to marry was to give 
birth to the Son of God. 

Caesar Augustus was Emperor of Rome at this time, 
and he had instituted a law to the effect that the 
citizens should all be enrolled. This necessitated 
Joseph going to Bethlehem of Judea for this purpose. 
When they arrived in Bethlehem many people were 
there to be enrolled and pay their taxes, and all of the 
inns were full to their lodging capacity. They en- 
quired at many places, but were refused, until a little 
girl directed them to an old stable that had been used 
for stabling mules or burros, but this was clean and 
perfectly sanitary. They stopped here for the night, 
and this same night the child Jesus was born, and at 
this very moment a star rose in the East and the 
angels came to the shepherds of the flocks near Bethle- 
hem, and said to them as they were awakened from 
their sleep, “Fear not, for behold I bring you good 
tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For 
unto you is born this day in the city of David a 
Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a 
sign unto you ; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swad- 
dling clothes lying in a manger/ ’ 

The shepherds went and viewed the babe. 

Caesar Augustus was Emperor of Rome, or Emperor 
of the world, I might say, for he ruled from the 
Euphrates to the Atlantic Ocean, and from the North 
Sea to the Atlas Mountains in Africa. Herod was king 
of Judah, Caesar’s vassal. The three wise men of the 
East, or kings of the East, who brought with them in- 
cense, myrrh, and expensive ointments for the Son of 
God had seen the star of the Son of God and had come 
to adore him. On their way to Bethlehem they stopped 
at Jerusalem to enquire of Herod where they could find 


172 


THE HISTORY OP THE BIBLE 


the new born King of the Jews. This caused the King 
and his counselors much worry. However they informed 
the three wise men of the East where the child Christ 
was born, and Herod asked the men of the East to come 
into his private chamber and tell him, after they had 
seen the child, what news they had been able to learn. 

They started away from Jerusalem, being led by 
the star that had led them all the way from the East. 
They followed it until they reached the stable in Beth- 
lehem, where they went in to adore the child and give 
to the child as a token of love the frankincense, gold 
and myrrh. After they had adored the child, God 
came to the three men and told them not to go to Herod 
for he was conspiring against the child ’s life. 

They did not return to J erusalem to tell Herod what 
they knew of the child. They either returned home 
or went on into Europe. Their history after they left 
Bethlehem is not authentic. Herod was angry at their 
not returning to tell him the news he so desired. He 
was no doubt afraid this baby boy would usurp him 
at some future time, so he resolved to slay the auspi- 
cious babe. To do this he not only committed one mur- 
der, but thousands. He ordered that all the children 
in Bethlehem under two years of age should be killed. 

Herod was not a Jew himself by birth or religion; 
he worshipped idols and heathen gods; he had mur- 
dered his wife, his mother, and many of his friends. 
It was evident his unscrupulousness would let him 
murder the children with impunity after such whole- 
sale slaughter. His decree to murder the innocent 
was executed, though not until an angel had come to 
Joseph in a dream and told him to flee into Egypt for 
the child’s safety. This Joseph did at once. He took 
Mary and the child Jesus and went into Egypt, and 





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THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT 











































































































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while there God told them to marry, which they did. 
They stayed there until the death of Herod; then the 
angel told them to return to Nazareth. 

***#**=»=»# 

When Jesus was resting on his mother’s lap between 
the paws of the great Sphynx of Gehazi, those young 
babv eyes looked upon the great Pyramid of Cheops 
which was built by his father (God) as a symbol to 
describe in its mute way the plan of our salvation. 

This great Pyramid, which was built contempor- 
aneous with history is significant in every detail to 
the Scriptures. It is thought to have been built by 
one of the shepherd kings, perhaps Melchisedek, 
though lie was not the architect, for no one but God 
himself could have had the consummate skill and 
wisdom to construct this great monument. It has 
stood and will stand as a “ Stone Witness” to symbo- 
lize the wisdom of the Creater. It embodies every 
science; it sets forth the millennial age of God’s dis- 
pensations, and has characterized and symbolized their 
significance in the form of air passages and chambers 
in this great Pyramid. One is to represent the Mosaic 
or old dispensation, the other the Christian dispensa- 
tion, and thirdly the future which is to be Heaven, 
which all mankind will some day be rendered permissi- 
ble for that eternal bourne, through one man and he is 
Jesus Christ. We are all born in original sin, polluted 
by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, which has 
branched out into iniquitous ramifications throughout 
the world, and now the impurities of man will be filter- 
ed by and through the life, death, flesh and blood of 
the Lord Jesus. The sins of the world were propa- 
gated by one, and they are to be remissed by one, and 
this child Jesus, who once rested his eyes on this great 


174 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


Pyramid while with Joseph and his mother in Egypt, 
was not only destined to be the one, but his acts were 
symbolically depicted within this great pile of stone. 

The inspiration I have been able to gain by person- 
ally surveying the great Pyramid within and without, 
and associating its position which is the center of the 
world, and also the fitting cardinal features as well as 
astronomical symmetry, it seems a plausible theory 
that the Sphynx was also built under God’s jurisdic- 
tion, and it was to represent the Godhead viewing the 
acts of man in his silent pose. The body is a lion, 
which is king of all beasts, to denote strength and 
endurance, which shows at will he could with his 
elements or symbolized talons tear the world asunder, 
and then disappear back beneath a subterranean 
passageway which may lead to the great Pyramid, or 
the lion’s lair. There is surely some connection be- 
tween the Sphynx and great Pyramid; they both play 
their part as a symbol of abstruse significance between 
both God and man, Heaven and earth. 

a-*#*#***# 

Many of the proud Pharisees were looking for the 
Messiah, or the King, to come and deliver them, but 
they were expecting a king born in a palace instead of 
one born in a manger, a king who would deliver them 
with a sword and sceptre from under the power of 
Rome, instead of being delivered from sin by the meek 
and submissive, gentle, just Jesus. 

Joseph was a carpenter, and after he had returned 
to Nazareth he worked at his trade and supported his 
family. The feast of the Passover was to be held in 
Jerusalem as usual, and Jesus had attained the age of 
thirteen years. Mary and Joseph took Jesus and went 
to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast of the Passover. 


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175 


By some means, while they were in Jerusalem, the boy 
Jesus became separated from his parents, and went to 
the Temple amid the doctors and members of the 
Sanhedrim. They asked the boy many questions, 
questions that few grown men could answer, but 
Jesus always answered promptly and explained the 
questions vividly and in detail, until the men were 
astonished at the wisdom of the youth. The mother 
and father were experiencing great difficulty in locat- 
ing their boy. They searched three days for him, at 
last finding him in the Temple with the doctors. His 
mother reproached him for acting as he had by leaving 
them. He had said in his quiet, sweet way, “lam here 
about my Father’s business.” 

After many years had passed, and Jesus had in- 
creased in statue and wisdom, and had also grown in 
godly grace and had attained the age of thirty-two 
years, John the Baptist had done likewise in the wilder- 
ness. He was sent by the Lord before Jesus to prepare 
the way. 

Jesus summoned John to come out of the desert 
and come to him on the plains of Jordan and preach 
the Gospel. John answered the summons. He must 
have been a rhetorician, for he brought many people 
to him from all parts of the country. They would 
come and look at the man who had come to baptize 
our Saviour. He came with leathern girdle and robed 
in skins of beasts. The austere and sublime in his 
demeanor and attitude impressed his hearers with such 
force that they thought he was the Messiah. As he 
baptized the people he said to them, “Do penance, for 
the Kingdom of God is at hand.” “Trust not to your 
ancestor Abraham, for the root will be severed.” 
When they asked him if he was the Messiah, he said, 


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“No. I am not worthy to lace the shoes of one who 
will soon be in your midst.’ ’ 

Jesus and John later on met at the banks of the 
River Jordan, near Jericho. Jesus met John for the 
express purpose of receiving baptism, and when he 
asked John to baptise him, John refused, saying he 
was not good enough to baptise a man of his divine 
merit. However, Christ prevailed upon him to baptise 
him, until at last, in accordance with God’s divine 
laws, he baptised Jesus in the Jordan River, “In the 
name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.” 
The windows of heaven opened as soon as this was 
consummated and God descended in the form of a dove 
and lit upon Jesus, and a voice from an angel said, 
“This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.” 

As soon as this was over Jesus was led into the 
desert by one of the devil’s angels, who tempted him to 
sin. After Jesus had fasted forty days and nights the 
devil told him to turn the stones to bread that he 
might eat. The devil also carried him to the pinnacle 
of the temple at Jerusalem, and told him to cast him- 
self down to see if God would save him. Jesus would 
do neither, he only said “Tempt not the Lord thy 
God.” Satan endeavored to cause Jesus to adore him. 
He made him rich promises, if he would do so, yet 
Jesus only said, “The Lord only should be adored.” 
At this Jesus told Satan to go from him. 

We have authentic history of many of Christ’s 
miracles. Still there are thousands of miracles and 
thousands of people that he miraculously cured that 
we know nothing of. Jesus would almost always say 
to the one he had just cured of some horrid and ma- 
lignant disease, “Go thy way and tell no one.” 


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One of Christ’s first great miracles was at the wed- 
ding, where the host had made it known to the guests 
that the wine w T as exhausted. Mary, Christ’s mother, 
went to Jesus and made him aware of the fact that 
there was no more wine in the house. Mary must have 
felt in her heart that her divine son could perform 
some miracle to materialize the wine in substance. 

There was a noticeable change in Christ’s features 
and manners after he had crossed the Jordan and 
received baptism. The Holy Spirit was now inter- 
woven in every fibre and in every cell in his already 
holy body. After Mary had told Jesus of the scarcity 
of wine, Jesus said, “What have I to do with thee? 
Mine hour has not yet come.” 

Mary instructed the servants of the house to do 
whatever they were commanded to do by Jesus unhesi- 
tatingly. Although Christ’s answer to his mother was 
evasive and not a propitious one to those not knowing 
Jesus, Mary knew her son’s peculiarities and idiosyn- 
crasies, which was only answering questions in para- 
bles. Jesus had supported his widowed mother by his 
trade as carpenter for some years; consequently Mary 
knew Jesus could help them out of the difficulty. 
Jesus ordered the large water jugs filled with water. 
When they were filled Jesus said to one of the servants, 
“Pour out to the host a draught for him to taste.” 
He did so, and when he tasted he drank, and they all 
drank, and became merry on the miraculous wine. 
The guests all acknowledged that the wine was better 
than any they had ever drank before. 

Jesus performed many miracles greater than this; 
he healed the lepers, the paralytic, the blind, the deaf 
and dumb, and brought back the fleeting spark of life 
after it had made its exit from the palace of the soul. 


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After he had done some of these wonders his fame and 
glory spread rapidly throughout Galilee and Judea. 

There is really no need of giving space for all of 
his marvelous cures. I will only give a few of the 
more wonderful cures he made, and a narrative of his 
healing powers, that the Lord gave him, that he might 
manifest his glory and heavenly endowed powers. 

After all of his cures, public and private, he failed 
to convince but a small minority of the people that he 
was really the Messiah and had superhuman potency, 
except from Baalzebub, the Prince of Devils. People 
are so apt to be either apathetic or incredulous. 
If Christ should come to earth today, as he is to come 
at some future date, in all of his glory, surrounded by 
his retinue of angels and the apparition of the ten 
thousand saints, with Gabriel and Michael, the arch- 
angels, with trumpets used by them as seraphic mega- 
phones, telling the world that Christ had come to judge 
the living and the dead, and J esus also would 
instruct his lieutenants and officers, who were saints 
and angels, to go to the four corners of the earth to 
gather (as is prophesied,) all of the worthy unto Him, 
to go to realms of eternal bliss, the large majority of 
people would brand the whole outfit as being some 
impostor who had invented a scene of fireworks to 
materialize a travesty of the prophecy fulfilled of the 
Judgment Day. 

The people have become too liberal to attempt 
crucifixion, but are always ready to denounce as fraud, 
or are too iconoclastic. We are more liberal today 
than the people were two thousand years ago, still we 
are not as ready to believe in dreams, signs, prophecies, 
the occult, or psychic phenomena, as they were in 
those days. Our minds have become more practical 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


179 


and will at once set about solving a problem, whether 
it be of terrestrial or celestial consequence, by the law 
of cause and effect. If by some scientific method, 
either mechanical or chemical, a man can fathom its 
law of existence, he will do it. If not, it is at once 
branded as a delusive propaganda, or it will be dis- 
charged from his mind as a hypothetical possibility 
endowed with capricious subtlety. If this is the status 
of our minds today, can we wonder that two thousand 
years ago they doubted the divinity of Jesus Christ, 
the Saviour? 

However, to continue with the good that Christ did 
during his earthly nativity. No matter how I exalt 
him in praise it can not be hyperbole. How often the 
poor, the blind, the sick, the halt, and lame would 
gather about him just to see, and even to touch, the 
hem of his garment, as one woman did of whom I will 
speak in particular. Jesus did not know she was near 
until he looked about and saw her. He said to her, 
1 ‘For thy faith thou art made whole.” She was healed 
instantly of a loathsome disease. 

In all of the Oriental cities there are many cases of 
leprosy today, as there were in the days of Jesus 
Christ’s nativity. The lepers by a city ordinance, are 
not allowed inside of the walls of the city. In Christ’s 
time they were not allowed to wear any head-dress of 
any kind and were required to continually cry, “Un- 
clean, unclean,” to notify the uncontaminated of their 
presence. They were also thought, in those days, to 
be possessed of the devil. Even now in the garden 
of Gethsemane, outside of the walls of Jerusalem, there 
are many who stand by the tomb of Mary and Joseph 
to wait for the tourists and continually say the word, 
“Bachsheech,” which means “a gift.” If this gift is 


180 


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not forthcoming they will curse you, and really believe 
their curse to be effectual, for they think the devil is 
in them and can impart his devilish influence at will. 

The disease of leprosy is considered by the medical 
world as the most terrible of all the maladies that 
flesh is heir to, and is one that ostracizes the victim 
from society, and in many countries they are com- 
pelled by law to be placed in exile on some sequestered 
island. The most grave of its pernicious symptons is 
the disintegration of the ligaments, and the fingers, 
arms, toes, and limbs rot and fall away ; the nails fall 
off from the fingers and toes ; the eyes become impaired, 
and heart trouble ends their miserable existence. 

A case of leprosy had never been cured by medical 
science before Christ. He is the only doctor who ever 
cured this malady, and he did it in a quiet, gentle man- 
ner. He would turn to them and say, as he did at the 
pool with the paralytic, “Take up thy bed and walk.” 
Christ cured many thousands of these cases in his evan- 
gelistic, itinerant career. 

There is no likeness of Christ, that we know of, 
taken during his earthly days, probably for the reason 
that the Jews considered it a sin to make an image 
of a person, it being against the commandments of the 
Lord to sculpture or make a likeness of either man or 
beast. Pictures representing Jesus Christ, that are 
now extant throughout the world, are either of Greek 
or Romish origin. These people excelled in the art 
of sculpture, and in all probability were the first to 
produce a likeness of our Saviour. 

It has been said that a perfect imprint of his fea- 
tures was left on the linen cloth that Veronica used 
to wipe the blood and perspiration from his brow 
when our Saviour had fallen under the burden of the 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


181 


cross, at one of the stations as he was being led to 
Calvary to be crucified. This last statement can not 
be verified as authentic, it is only legendary history. 

Christ always wore a white linen cloth folded 
square, so that each corner, to the right and left and 
behind, would fall down to the shoulders and the back, 
with a cord, or “angbul,” around this to fasten it se- 
curely to his head. Jesus wore a tunic that reached 
to the ground, with blue tassels here and there. He 
also wore underwear made of light gray material, 
and sandals as his foot-dress. Christ was a little above 
medium stature with a refulgent youthful beauty. 
There was always a dreamy charm about him, that 
could not be explained. His complexion was very light 
in comparison to those about him ; his eyes were tender 
in their expression and looked as though they would 
at any time melt into tears. 

While Jesus was alone he was either in prayer or 
deep meditation. It has been said he stooped a little, 
especially as he walked. This may be true, for he did 
not have the affectation that the Rabbis had; they 
were so buoyant and proud, and walked in a haughty, 
ostentatious attitude, while Jesus was simple, natural 
and unostentatious, yet graceful and sublime in his 
carriage, and every other act. His dignity in act, word 
and deed only presented more proof of his being both 
mortal and immortal, human and divine. 


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CHAPTER XXV. 

CHRIST CHOOSING HIS FIRST DISCIPLES. 

The disciples that Christ chose were all unlearned 
men and poor, as well. He first chose Andrew and 
John. Before this they had been with John the Bap- 
tist, but left him to follow the Saviour, when he told 
them to “behold the Lamb of God.” They followed 
Jesus, and later Andrew brought his brother Simon 
Peter to Christ, and John brought his brother James. 

They went to Cana of Galilee, where Mary was, 
and on their way, Phillip, another poor but good man, 
joined them. Christ had at this time five of his twelve 
disciples. When Christ saw Simon, he said to him, 
“Thou art called Simon, the son of Jona, hereafter 
thou shalt be called Peter.’ ’ 

When they met Phillip on their way to Cana of 
Galilee, Phillip was so impressed with Christ he at 
once went to bring Nathaniel, his brother, finding him 
under a fig tree. He told him the Messiah had come, 
and that Jesus of Nazareth was the person. Nathaniel 
was incredulous, for he was prejudiced against the 
Nazarenes, as were all the people in Nathaniel’s coun- 
try. However, he submitted to become an apostle after 
Jesus had said to him, “At last I behold an Israelite 
in whom there is no guile.” Nathaniel was now com- 
pletely daunted and confounded for a moment, and 
when he recovered from that shock, Jesus said, “Phil- 
lip, thy brother, found thee under a fig tree when he 
went to bring thee to me.” Now he could see that 


CASTING OUT THE MONEY CHANGERS 





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183 


Jesus was the Son of God, and bowed before him, and 
adored him, and became one of his disciples. Jesus 
changed his name to Bartholomew. 

After this Jesus began his public ministry. He first 
went to Jerusalem and went into the Temple. The 
feast of the Passover was being celebrated; as he en- 
tered the Temple he saw money-changers, and oxen, 
sheep, doves, goats and many other things in the tem- 
ple grounds and also in the Temple itself. In zealous 
rage he made a whip of cord and drove them all from 
the sacred grounds, and told them as they were flee- 
ing from him, that instead of being a house of God it 
was a den of thieves. Several of the men asked Christ 
by what authority he assumed this dominating atti- 
tude. He only said, “Destroy this Temple and in three 
days I will raise it up.” They thought he was refer- 
ring to the Temple of Solomon that was destroyed by 
Nebuchednezzar. Christ was not referring to that tem- 
ple or any other temple built of stone, iron or brass, 
but made of something that kings and men can not des- 
troy — that was his body that he knew would be cruci- 
fied and in three days would rise again, and the church 
at the same time would rise with it to stay forever and 
ever. 

While Jesus was at the feast of the Passover in 
Jerusalem, he met Nicodemus, a member of the San- 
hedrin. The Sanhedrin was the great council of the 
Jews which consisted of seventy members, or judges, 
to whom the high priest was added. It had jurisdic- 
tion over all important, especially religious matters. 
Consequently, Nicodemus must have been a represen- 
tative man of his time. He asked Jesus what he 
should do to be saved, saying, “For we know thou 
art a teacher from God, for no one could do what thou 


184 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


doest if God were not with him. ’ ’ Christ answered him 
that he must be born again of water and the Holy 
Ghost, and he also told him that God had sent his only 
begotten Son into the world, that the world might be 
saved through him. It was to Nieodemus that Christ 
taught the absolute necessity of baptism. 

Jesus, in his evangelical work, did not stop at any 
one place long. He knew he had so much work to do 
that God had assigned to him, and no doubt felt, 
though a young man, he would not be on earth long, 
and must accomplish all there was laid out for him 
to do. 

After he left Jerusalem and passed through Judea 
he came to a city called Sichar in Samaria. By this 
city’s gate is a large well that had been dug many cen- 
turies before by Jacob. Jesus had been walking all 
day and was much fatigued, for in that country, in 
many parts of it especially, it is very rough and moun- 
tainous. Samaria is on a large desert plain, and walk- 
ing across its unsheltered windy expanse of sand is a 
difficulty that one cannot realize until he has experi- 
enced the undertaking. 

When Jesus reached the well at the gates he sat 
down to rest. In a short time a Samaritan woman 
approached the well to fill her jug with water; as she 
was about to leave after she had drawn the water, 
Jesus tenderly asked her for a drink from her jug. 
She thought it strange that he should ask her for water, 
or any other favor because she was a Samaritan and 
he a Jew, for the Jews and Samaritans were enemies 
and would not think of asking favors of each other. 

It will be well to explain here why the Samaritans 
are not Jews, as their countries are practically one. 
Sargon subjugated it with heathen colonies, and when 



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185 


this king sent the heathen there to make former Israel 
their home, it was so infested with lions and other wild 
beasts of a prolific nature that the people came to the 
conclusion that God had sent them as a pest to drive 
them from the land. Their worship was a mixture of 
the true God and the heathen gods. After many years 
the majority of the citizens of Samaria decided to 
change their worship, and worship the God of Abraham 
alone, and to further their spiritual edification they 
sent into Judea for priests to educate and instruct 
them in the religion of the Hebrews. It was not long 
after they had called back the exiled priests until they 
became devout worshippers of the true God, obeying 
the laws of Moses in every way. They wished to min- 
gle in the society of the Israelites and even plead to 
be with them at religious soirees, banquets and public 
gatherings of every description, but they were refused. 
The Jews could not and would not tolerate them. The 
Jews from infancy were taught to despise a “cuthite” 
or Samaritan, as they were called. In time this would 
naturally cause an invidious feeling between the two 
countries. The Samaritans considered their country 
much more embellished with relics of ancient patriarch- 
al times and significance than Judea. They would 
continually point to Mount Gerez and cite it as being 
more holy than Mount Moriah of Judea, which they 
believed to be the Garden of Allah or God, and from 
its holy dust Adam was made, and upon its highest 
peak, Noah and the Ark landed, instead of Mount 
Ararat. 

This was the jealous feeling that existed between 
the Jews and Samaritans for many years. Then, of 
course, it was no wonder that this woman at the well 
thought it was strange when J esus asked her for water. 


186 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


Jesus, as I have said before, sat down on the stone near 
the well to rest while he sent his disciples to the vil- 
lage to get bread. 

When Jesus asked for the water she said, “How is 
it, that you being a Jew can ask a favor of a Samari- 
tan ?” When she said this she still had the astonished 
look on her face caused by Jesus asking for water, al- 
though she proceeded to offer Jesus a draught of the 
water from her jug in a woman’s delicate and tender 
way. As Jesus received the draught he said to her 
that he could give her living water and water that 
would never let her thirst again. 

This opened the woman’s heart, for she said, “Our 
fathers worshipped in this mountain, and your people 
say that in Jerusalem is the place to worship.” By 
this Jesus could see that she was easy to teach the right 
way of worship, so he said to her, “Believe me, the 
hour will come when neither in this mountain nor in 
Jerusalem will you worship the father; ye worship God 
without knowing him. We Jews worship that which 
our having received the Scriptures has taught us to 
know. The Messiah and his salvation must come from 
among the Jews, but though the Jews be right as 
against the Samaritans in so far as relates to the past, 
both are on an equal footing as to the far more glorious 
future, and the hour comes and now is when the true 
worshippers will worship the father in spirit and in 
truth.” 

The good woman listened to receive every word, 
but could not understand the meaning; still she ans- 
wered him with an unknowing and vacuitive mind, “I 
know that when the Messiah comes that is called the 
Christ, he will tell us all things.” Jesus answered her, 
“I that speak unto thee am he.” 


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187 


As great as the feeling of hostility was between the 
Jews and Samaritans, it shows how forgiving Jesus 
was by his spiritual exemplification. He declared he 
was the Messiah to a Samaritan, confessing for the 
first time to mankind that he was the Son of God, and 
moreover he told it to a woman, for a woman in the 
days of Christ was not allowed to know the laws of 
Moses. A Rabbi would not speak to a woman in public. 
A common proverb among the Jews was, ‘‘He who in- 
structs his daughter in the law, instructs her in folly.’' 
But as I have said before, Mary, the mother of Jesus, 
crushed the serpent’s head. Her son, Jesus Christ, has 
come to raise woman, and has raised her equal to, if 
not above, men. Morally women are better than man. 
They have more self abnegative power than men. 

However, by this time many had gathered about the 
well, and after Jesus had talked with them awhile they 
told him that they knew he was the Messiah, the 
Saviour of the world. 

Soon after this Jesus entered a Jewish synagogue, 
and in those days any one, after prayers, could read 
a chapter from the Law or from the Prophets. Jesus 
was asked by a “Chazzan,” or one who has charge of 
the books or rolls of the Law and Prophecies, to read 
a chapter. Jesus took the book, opened it, and read. 
How Christ must have felt when he knew he was ful- 
filling prophecy by reading that chapter that was writ- 
ten hundreds of years before by Isaiah. These were 
the words contained in the lesson for that particular 
day, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He 
has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor ; He 
has sent me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliv- 
erance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the 
blind; to set at liberty them that are bruised; to preach 


188 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


the acceptable year of the Lord.” As He closed the 
book he looked up over His hearers, and said, “This 
day this Scripture is fulfilled in your ears.” 

This greatly incensed the congregation, and they 
said to one another, “Why He is only Joseph’s son, 
the carpenter.” They went to him and violently brought 
him to a precipice, and were about to cast him down 
to kill him, but by the help of God he turned and 
walked amidst them and away. As he turned to face 
them he seemed to paralyze their every attempt to 
move. He said to them as he was leaving, “A prophet 
has honor, except in his own country.” Even Elijah 
was rejected by his own, and was forced to ask hospi- 
tality of the pagan widow of Serepta. 

Jesus went to Capernaum, where he taught on the 
Sabbath day, and at Peter’s home he cured the sick. 
From there he went to Galilee and to Lake Gennesaret ; 
it was here the great multitude congregated to hear 
and see him, and here it was that he told his disciple 
Peter to go out a little further and dip the net and he 
would catch fish. He obeyed him and caught great 
nets full. They had been fishing all night and had not 
caught a fish until Christ came, and now both boats 
were full. Peter was overcome with emotion ; he threw 
himself down at the feet of Jesus, and said, “Depart 
from me, Jesus, for I am a sinful man.” Jesus said, 
“Fear not, from henceforth thou shalt be a fisher 
of men.” 

When they had reached the shore the disciples hur- 
ried and followed Jesus, and many of the people fol- 
lowed him, for he cured as he went. His cures gave 
the multitude more of an incentive to follow him, un- 
til he went up onto a mountain, and sat on a rock, and 
said to the multitude : 


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11 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the 
kingdom of heaven. Blessed are the meek: for they 
shall possess the land. Blessed are they that mourn: 
for they shall be comforted. Blessed are they who 
hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall 
be filled. Blessed are the merciful : for they shall ob- 
tain mercy. Blessed are the clean in heart: for they 
shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for the> 
shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they 
who suffer persecution for justice sake: for theirs is 
the kingdom of God.” 

After Jesus had finished talking the multitude de- 
parted, and he told his disciples they were the salt of 
the earth, and the light of the world. He also related 
to them the commandments as he had revised them, 
that they should not kill, to forgive their neighbor, 
and to love their enemies, to do good to those who hat- 
ed them, and to pray for those who persecuted and 
calumniated them. He told them of the sanctity of 
marriage, and said, “Let no man put away his wife, 
for what God hath joined together, let no man put 
asunder.” Also they should have contrite hearts, and 
a good, pure intention for the sake of the Lord and not 
for man. He told them of the vanity of men, and how 
foolish it was to lay up earthly possessions, that the 
thief will steal, and the moth will eat, and rust decay, 
but to lay up heavenly treasures which will last for- 
ever. 

Christ told them of the dress they should wear, and 
the food they should eat, that it should be plain and 
wholesome, and he told them of the bird that had its 
home in the bough and the branch, and the wolf whose 
home is in the ground, but the son of man must find 
his garments and his habitation. He said, “Consider 


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the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, 
neither do they spin, and yet Solomon in all his glory 
was not arrayed like one of these.” He also said, “No 
man can serve two masters. You cannot serve God 
and Mammon. Swear not, let your words be ‘Yea, 
Yea,’ ‘Nay, Nay/ and do unto others as you wish them 
to do unto you. Judge not, that ye be not judged.” 

After this he gave them the similitude that is the 
most famous, and is quoted perhaps the most of any 
of his parables. “They who heareth my words and 
doeth them, shall be like unto a wise man who built 
his house upon the rock ; the winds blew and the floods 
came, and the storms beat upon that house, and it fell 
not, because it was founded upon a rock. But he who 
heareth my words, and doeth them not, I will liken 
unto a foolish man who built his house upon the sand, 
and the winds blew and the floods came, and the storms 
beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the 
fall thereof.” 

Jesus also taught them how to pray. It was here 
he taught them the Lord’s prayer. He told them, “If 
ye then being evil know how to give good gifts unto 
your children, how much more then will your Father 
which is in heaven give ye good gifts.” “Enter ye in 
at the straight gate, for wide is the gate and broad 
is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there 
be that go therein, because straight is the gate and 
narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few 
there be that find it.” “Beware of false prophets 
which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly 
they are ravening wolves, but by their fruits ye shall 
know them.” “Ask and it shall be given unto you; 
seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened 
unto you; for he that asketh receiveth, and he that 


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seeketh findeth. If your son ask bread will you give 
him a stone, or if he ask for a fish will you give him a 
serpent ? ’ ’ 

After Jesus had explained to his disciples on the 
mount that earthly possessions were but of little value, 
he said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his 
righteousness, and all of these things shall be added 
unto you.” He also said: “Cast out the beam from 
thine own eye, then thou canst see to cast the moat out 
of thy brother’s eye.” “Give not that which is holy 
to dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine.” 

After Jesus left the mountain he cured a leper by 
a simple lambent movement. Then Jesus passed on 
until he met a Roman centurion. This Roman ap- 
proached Jesus and told him his servant was very ill, 
and that he was afraid he would die. Jesus told him 
that he would go and heal him at once, and the centur- 
ion got down on his knees before Jesus and said to 
him, “Lord, I am not worthy that thou shoulds’t en- 
ter under my roof. Say only the word and my servant 
shall be healed.” Jesus admitted this was the greatest 
faith he had yet found in Israel, and moreover the 
man was a Roman centurion. Jesus said, “Nay, many 
shall come from the East and the West, and sit down 
with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, in the kingdom of 
heaven, but the Jews themselves shall be cast forth, 
because they will not believe in the Son of God.” He 
then said to the Roman, “As you believe, so be it 
done.” The servant was healed. 

In passing up the streets of the city of Nain with 
his disciples, they met a funeral procession. A widow 
was burying her son, and she was in such sorrow that 
the situation appealed to Jesus as being so exorable 
that he told the widow to weep not. He touched the 


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bier and said, “ Arise!” and the young man arose and 
walked. The people who saw it all glorified God, and 
thought that a great prophet had come. 

After this, a Pharisee named Simon asked Jesus 
to come and dine with him. Jesus accepted, and while 
he was at the table Mary Magdalene came in an ob- 
trusive manner, but with love in her heart for the 
Savior, for she had brought with her expensive oint- 
ment, and at once cast herself at the feet of Him, and 
poured the ointment onto his feet, and rubbed them 
with her long and beautiful hair, while her tears were 
streaming down on Christ’s feet. Jesus could see that 
she was truly penitent. When this proud, hypocriti- 
cal Pharisee saw this, he said to Jesus, “If you were 
a prophet you would not allow this woman to do that, 
you would know what she was, and that she was a 
sinner. ’ ’ 

Jesus said to Simon. “A certain man had two 
debtors; one owed five hundred pence, the other fifty; 
as neither could pay him he forgave them both ; which 
do you think loved him the most.” The Pharisee said, 
“I suppose he whom he had forgiven most.” “You 
see,” said Jesus, “This woman hath anointed my feet 
with ointment, and washed them with her tears. I am 
here in your house as your guest and you have not 
volunteered to wash my feet, or give me water for 
them. You did not anoint my head, but she has anoint- 
ed my feet. I say unto you, many sins are forgiven 
her, for she has loved much.” 

Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, was the one who 
did the talking, for he pretended that Mary was waste- 
ful with the ointment by putting it on the Saviour’s 
feet, instead of selling it to help the poor. This took 
place at Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had 


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raised from the dead, and who was the brother of 
Mary and Martha. But the act of raising Lazarus to 
life after he had been in his grave four days, was not 
done until his next visit to Bethany. When Christ 
heard that Lazarus was sick unto death, he said, “Thy 
sickness is for the glory of God, that the Son of God 
might be glorified thereby,” When he went to Mary 
and Martha’s house, Martha met him and told him 
her brother was dead, but she had confidence that Jesus 
would yet save or bring him back. Jesus told her, 
“Thy brother shall rise again.” Jesus went to the 
grave and wept. He lifted his eyes to heaven, thanked 
the Father that he had helped him, and Lazarus walked 
from the tomb. 

Not long after this Jesus met Matthew. Matthew 
was sitting at the place where customs were paid, as 
Jesus passed. Jesus asked him to follow him, and he 
did as he was asked. They broke bread and ate to- 
gether, after this, and it caused the Pharisees to com- 
ment on the fact of a Rabbi eating with Matthew, a 
publican. Jesus told them, when he heard what they 
had said, “They that be whole need not a physician, 
but they that are sick. I am not come to call the right- 
eous, but sinners to repentance.” 

Jesus came again to Lake Gennesaret, and entered 
a ship and taught the multitude. It was here he gave 
the parable of the sower. After he had given this 
parable he and his disciples started in the boat, for 
the other side of the lake. Shortly after the ship left 
the land a terrible storm arose. It became so rough 
the disciples were all afraid they would perish. They 
awoke Jesus, who had fallen asleep. He told them 
they lacked faith, and Jesus calmed the sea, and also 
walked upon its waters, “Be not afraid, for it is I,” 


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he told them. When he with his disciples landed, 
great multitudes of people met him. Among them was 
Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue. His daughter was 
very sick and he came to ask Jesus to go with him to 
heal her. On the way, he healed the woman I have 
spoken of before that was healed by touchng the hem 
of his garment. 

They had not gone far after this, until a servant 
of Jairus came running to meet Jesus, shouting and 
lamenting the death of the daughter of Jairus, and 
also added it would be useless for Jesus to go any 
further, as she was dead. “Fear not, only believe,” 
was Christ’s answer. They continued on. When they 
arrived many were there lamenting the death of the 
young girl, but as Jesus came to the house he said; 
“Weep not, for she is not dead.” They were incredu- 
lous at the remark of Jesus, because they knew she 
breathed no more. Jesus took into the death chamber 
with him Peter, James and John, and the father and 
mother of the girl. Jesus took her hand, tenderly 
raising it upward, saying, “Arise!” Instantly she 
arose and walked around the house, alive and well. 

About this time Jesus chose his apostles from his 
many followers. Twelve good men must be chosen, as 
Jesus called them, for apostles, which means “to be 
sent.” The names of the twelve he chose were, Peter, 
and Andrew, James and John, Phillip and Bartholo- 
mew, Thomas and Matthew, the publican, James, the 
less, Thaddeus and Simon Zelotes, and Judas Iscariot, 
who turned traitor to his master. 

After he chose them he told them they now had 
the power to heal the sick, to raise the dead, and 
drive out devils. “Go ye to the lost sheep of Israel. 
As ye go into the world teach them that the kingdom 


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of heaven is at hand. Take nothing with you but your 
staff, take no clothes except what is on your back ; take 
neither money nor food. Behold I send you forth as 
sheep in the midst of wolves, be ye, therefore, wise as 
serpents and harmless as doves.” “He that taketh not 
his cross and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. 
He that findeth his life shall lose it, and he that loseth 
his life for my sake shall find it.” 

“You must suffer for my sake,” were Christ’s 
words to his disciples. He even told them they would 
suffer death for his sake, “But my disciples are not 
above me, for they will do these things to me, how 
much more to you.” He also consoled them by telling 
them he would be with them, and he would speak 
through them, and those who heard them heard him, 
and those who despised them despised him. 

Two by two the disciples went forth, preachng 
the Gospel and healing the sick, and curing the blind. 

Christ also sent out seventy apostles, who were to 
aid the twelve. These seventy did the same as the 
twelve. Think for a moment what this little band of 
eighty-two men have done; they have subdued idola- 
try and paganism, and revolutionized the social, moral 
and religious aspect of the world. Saints were mar- 
tyred, the apostles crucified as their master Jesus 
Christ was, multitudes vanquished and imprisoned and 
at times were even compelled to live, and worship, and 
bury their dead in the catacombs under the dismal 
earth. The Church has had civil combats, and become 
divided against itself; it has been crushed to the 
very earth, but it was founded on God’s truth and 
must rise and prevail. It did rise; it pulled through 
and stands today an institution which is a monument 
of memory to the Saviour of mankind, and to the glory 
of God, our Father Almighty, forever and ever. 


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CHAPTER XXYI. 

JOHN THE BAPTIST’S DEATH. 

Herod Tetrarch of Galilee had married his brother’s 
wife Herodias. John considered this a terrible sin, 
and he went to the king and told him he had done 
a great wrong and it was unlawful, as well, to marry 
as he had. 

Herodias had a daughter by her first husband. This 
young lady’s name was Salome. She was a beautiful 
girl, but did not put her beauty to good use. Salome 
was very much displeased with John for going to the 
king and telling him what he had. She and her moth- 
er encouraged the king to bind John and incarcerate 
him in prison. This Herod did to silence John so that 
he could not asperse his marriage with his brother’s 
wife any more in public. 

Herod had a birthday feast shortly after this, and 
invited all the princes and princesses of Galilee. Dur- 
ing the feast Salome gave a lascivious, bizarre dance 
that pleased Herod the king to the extent that he of- 
fered Salome anything she desired, even unto one-half 
of his kingdom. She chose the head of John the Bap- 
tist. The king himself did not really want to take 
the life of this just man, but rather than go back on 
his word he ordered his executioners to go forth to 
the prison and cut off his head and bring it in on a 
charger to Salome. This command was at once execut- 
ed. John’s head, with the warm, godly blood dripping 
from it. was brought in and presented to Salome, and. 
she gave it to her mother, who was now the queen. 


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The } 7 now felt that they had avenged their petty griev- 
ance toward John. His body was afterwards buried 
by the disciples. 

After this had been done many had gathered into 
the desert. Jesus was there also, and the day wore on 
to evening and the multitude had become hungry, and 
they asked if they should not send to the village for 
bread. Jesus asked what they had with them in the 
way of food. They said, “We have but five loaves 
and two fishes. ” Jesus commanded them to sit down, 
two by two, on the ground. They obeyed, and sat in 
ranks of one hundred and fifty in each rank. He took 
the bread, looked up to heaven, blessed it, and fed the 
great multitude, and they did all eat and were filled, 
and they took up twelve baskets full afterwards, and 
they that did eat of the loaves were about five thou- 
sand. After they had eaten, he said, “I am the living 
bread, the bread that will never perish. Eat and ye 
shall have life etemal. ,, 

A little while after this Jesus took Peter, James and 
John with him up into a mountain. There he was 
transfigured before them. His face was like the gold- 
en sun, and his garments became as white as snow. 
Moses on one side, and Elias on the other, appeared 
and began to talk with Jesus. When the disciples, 
who had been sleeping, awoke, and saw Christ ’s beauty, 
they suggested one to the other to build three taber- 
nacles, one for Jesus, one for Elias and one for Moses. 
While they were speaking of this, a voice from heaven 
cried out, “This is my beloved Son, hear ye him. ,, The 
disciples fell flat on their faces. Jesus bade them rise. 
They rose up and saw only Jesus. He told them to 
tell no one until after he had risen from the dead, 
what they had seen. 


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Moses and Elias are the greatest men in the old Law, 
but Jesus, in this transfiguration, infinitely surpassed 
the other two, showing that he wore the crown of 
majesty, as well as the origin of power, both in the 
Jewish and Christian dispensation. 

Jesus was the friend of children. The mothers 
brought their children to him to be blessed. He said 
to them, “Suffer the little children to come unto me, 
for in their innocence they are like the angels of 
heaven.” He also said, to become great in heaven we 
must on earth become innocent and humble, as chil- 
dren. Christ said, those who led children into sin 
would suffer, for their angels were ever before the 
face of God. 

At Jerusalem Jesus related the parable of the good 
shepherd who would leave the flock to find the one that 
was lost. He said, “I am the Good Shepherd. I lay 
down my life for my sheep. I have other sheep that 
are not yet of this fold ; them also I must bring. There 
shall be but one fold and one shepherd.” 

To pardon injuries was another of Christ’s many 
habits. Peter asked him how many times he should 
forgive his brothers. Jesus told him to forgive his 
brothers seventy times seven. The prodigal son was 
forgiven by his father, and a fatted calf was killed on 
his return home, after he had spent his portion of his 
father’s allowance to him. The boy had suffered and 
had herded swine, and the boy said he had sinned and 
was not fit to be called his son. This made the father 
love him all the more for he had confessed his sins, 
and he was the stray sheep ; he had returned to the fold 
and the father was glad, although the other boy, who 
had not been given a single kid or lamb, was provoked 
at the father for taking in the prodigal boy after he 


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had wasted his patrimony: but the father was for- 
giving; he loved his boy better than worldly pelf; he 
rejoiced for the lost was found. The Prodigal Son 
is one of Christ's most famous parables. 

Jesus continued on, and told of the poor man 
Lazarus at the gate of the rich man, begging for the 
crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Lazarus 
was afflicted with sores and the dogs licked them as 
he lay in pain and hunger at the gate. In time the 
poor man died and was taken to Abraham’s bosom. 
The rich man also died, but was buried in hell. They 
were now rewarded according to their earthly merits. 
The rich man begged Abraham to send Lazarus to his 
five brothers that they might be kept out of hell; 
Abraham refused, saying, “They have Moses and the 
prophets, let them hear them.” 

While Jesus was celebrating the feast of the Taber- 
nacle he left the temple on the Sabbath Day and met 
a man who had been blind from birth. The disciples, 
who were with Jesus, asked him if his blindness was 
any fault of his own, or his parents. Jesus answered, 
“No, he was made blind simply to manifest the 
works of God.” Jesus spat on the ground, and took 
the mud he made from it and put it on the blind man’s 
eyes, and bade him go and wash his eyes in the pool 
of Siloam. He did as he was told and returned com- 
pletely cured. The Pharisees reprimanded Jesus for 
curing the blind man on the Sabbath Day, and Jesus 
told them it was not sin to do good on the Sabbath. 

While in the synagogue Jesus took particular notice 
of the way two men went forward to pray. One was 
a Pharisee, and the other a Publican. The Pharisee 
prayed thus: “Oh, God, I thank thee that I am not 
like the rest of men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers; 


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nor am I like this Publican at my side. I fast twice a 
week, and give tithes of all I possess.” But the Pub- 
lican would not even lift up his eyes toward heaven, 
he was meek and humble, and struck his breast 
saying, “Oh, God, be merciful to me a sinner.” Jesus 
said unto his hearers, “I say unto you, the Publican 
was justified in the eyes of the Lord, but the Pharisee 
was not, for he who exalteth himself shall be humbled, 
and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” 

In the days of our Saviour it was considered an un- 
conventional act for a Rabbi, or a man high in the 
social realm, to enter into a Publican’s house. While 
Jesus was in Jericho a multitude gathered to see 
Jesus. Among them was a man named Zaccheus. 
Zaccheus was short in stature, and in order to see 
Christ pass by he was compelled to climb a tree and 
look down on him. When Jesus saw him, he said, 
“Make haste, Zaccheus, and come down, for today I 
must abide in your house.” Zaccheus, with pleasure, 
hastened down, and took Jesus to his home. This 
caused the people who witnessed it to murmer, because 
Jesus had gone into the house of a Publican, who, 
because of his vocation, was considered a sinner. 
Jesus said to Zaccheus, “This day salvation is come into 
this house, for the son of man has come to seek and 
save that which was lost. ’ ’ 


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CHAPTER XXVII. 

CHRIST’S TRIUMPHAL ENTRY INTO JERUSA- 
LEM. 

After Jesus left the home of Simon the leper, 
where Mary Magdalene had anointed his feet, and to 
whom he said, “"Wherever this Gospel is preached, 
the piety of Mary Magdalene shall be proclaimed,” he 
went to Mount Olivet, just outside the walls of Jeru- 
salem. From there he sent his disciples to Bethpage, 
a small town near by, for a burro or ass. He told 
them to bring the animal which would be tied by the 
wayside. 

The disciples did as commanded, and placing Jesus 
on the ass, went on their way into Jerusalem. When 
the people saw him coming many spread their gar- 
ments on the ground, and many cut branches from the 
palm trees for the Saviour to pass over, while the 
multitude cried, “Plosanna to the Son of David! 
Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.” 
This event is commemorated each year by what we call 
Palm Sunday. 

The Pharisees tried to hush the people’s shouting, 
and asked Jesus to have his disciples remain quiet. 
Jesus only went on into the city without answering 
them. As he looked up at the city, he cried, “Oh, 
Jerusalem, if you would have known the things that 
were for your peace. Seest thou these great buildings, 
there shall not be left one stone upon another that 
shall not be thrown down.” 


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Jesus entered the Temple and drove away the 
money-changers and the people who were making the 
house of God a den of thieves, as I have before stated. 
He healed many sick and blind. Every one by this 
time was crying, “ Hosanna to the Son of David !” 
This enraged the Pharisees, and they came to Jesus 
and asked him if he heard what the people were crying. 
Jesus replied, “Have you not read what was written 
by the prophet, ‘ Out of the mouths of infants thou hast 
perfected praise?’ ” 

Zacharias long before had foretold Christ’s entrance 
into Jerusalem, saying “Rejoice, daughters of Zion, 
and shout daughters of Jerusalem; Behold thy King 
will come to thee, He is poor and is riding upon an 
ass.” 

There was significance in every act of Jesus Christ 
on his entry into Jerusalem this day. The Jews were 
required by the Law of Moses to procure the Lamb of 
the Passover. On this day Jesus put his life in their 
hands, as the Lamb of God, to be sacrificed for the 
world, that we all might pass over to where we may 
have life eternal. 

After Jesus had uttered the parable of the marriage 
feast to the Scribes and Pharisees, they became en- 
raged at him and were now trying to entrap him by 
his own utterings, so that they might have some 
evidence against him to enable them to get him out 
of their midst forever. They then sent for some of 
Herod’s friends, who came to Jesus and tried to flatter 
him for his bravery in declaring his opinions openly. 
When they thought their cunning duplicity had forced 
Jesus to give damaging testimony against himself, 
they asked him whether it was lawful to give tribute 
unto Caesar, or not. It was useless to try to entrap a 


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man of God, which they probably saw later. If Jesus 
had said “Yes” to their question, the Jews would have 
hated him as being an enemy to their country, and if 
he had said “No” the king would say he was against 
the laws of the Empire. So Jesus said nothing, he only 
asked for a penny. AVhen he took the penny he asked 
them whose image was on the penny. They said, 
“Caesar’s.” Then said Jesus, “Render unto Caesar 
the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things 
that are God’s.” Their malice turned to admiration 
for his wisdom, as they left him. 

From here Jesus went to Mount Olivet, and sat down 
with his disciples and told them of the destruction of 
the temple, and when the city of J erusalem would be 
destroyed, also when the end of the world was to take 
place. He told them the city would fall, as it did under 
Titus, son of Vespasian, Emperor of Rome. He told 
them when the Gospel was preached in every part of 
the world, then .the world would come to an end 
“Signs shall appear, the sun shall be darkened; the 
moon shall not give her light, the stars shall fall from 
heaven; the earth shall be shaken; the sea shall roar. 
Then shall the Son of Man appear in his majesty with 
his retinue of angels, which will gather together the 
elect from the four winds. But no one knows the day 
or the hour but the Father alone.” 

Just thirty-seven years after this prophecy Jerusa- 
lem fell, the Temple was burned and the Jews were 
carried into captivity, never to return. If this is true, 
why not believe the other will be true, and not very 
far away, for the Gospel is now being preached over 
the entire world? 


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CHAPTER XXVIII. 

THE LAST JUDGMENT. 

This was probably the last public discourse Jesus 
ever gave. His disciples were present, for he exhorted 
them to prepare for it. “There will come the Son of 
Man surrounded by his angels and seated on a cloud, 
while all the nations of the earth will be gathered 
together before Him. The angels will separate the 
good from the bad. The good shall be placed on the 
right of the Son of Man and the bad on the left. Christ 
will say, “Come ye good, blessed of my Father, possess 
the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of 
the world/’ But to the rest he will say, “Depart from 
me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire which was prepared 
for the devil and his angels. They are eternally 
damned, but the just will go into life everlasting.” 

When Christ came to earth he was poor, and born 
in a stable, and later was spat upon and crucified. 
"When he comes again he will appear in all his glory as 
a judge, surrounded by his majesty, and ten thousand 
saints and angels. The cross, once so much despised, 
will then be the emblem of his glory. 


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CHAPTER XXIX. 

THE PASSION AND DEATH OF OUR SAVIOUR. 

The time had come when Jesus must fulfill his 
promise, that he would give his body as bread and 
his blood as wine to eat and drink, that we may nev- 
er hunger or thirst. Jesus bade Peter and John go 
into the city and prepare the feast of the Passover. 
This they did, in the upper chamber on Mount Zion 
where King David was buried. 

The twelve apostles and Jesus met at the appointed 
time. This was the meal our Saviour desired more 
than any meal he had ever had. During his life, look- 
ing upon humanity that was so morally depraved, 
caused his hunger, and this hunger made him glad that 
the hour had come that he could instigate a new sacri- 
fice, whereby and through the bread and wine of this 
Holy Supper, the souls of men from that hour until 
now, and forever, can be saved, and this world made 
better. 

After Jesus had washed the feet of the twelve 
apostles, to show them that if the master washed the 
servants’ feet, they should be subservient to each 
other in the same way, they gathered about the table 
to partake of food, under the hostage of the Son of God. 
This was the beginning of Christ’s Passion. Christ 
lifted his eyes toward heaven ; as he held the bread in 
his hands, he blessed it and handed it, as he broke it 
apart, to his disciples, and he said, '"Take ye, and eat, 
this is my body which is giveu for- you.” This has 


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transubstantiated his divine body into bread, or the 
blessed host. Then Jesus took up the chalice of wine 
and gave thanks, blessed it, and gave it to his disciples 
saying, “Drink ye of this, for this is my blood of the 
New Testament, which shall be shed for many for the 
remission of sins. This do in remembrance of me.” 
“But behold the hand of him that betrayeth me is 
with me on the table. The son of man goeth as it was 
determined, but woe unto the man by whom he is be- 
trayed.” They all wondered which of the twelve men 
Christ was referring to. Christ continued, saying, 
“I appoint a kingdom unto you, as my Father has 
appointed unto me, that ye may eat and drink at my 
table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the 
twelve tribes of Israel.” 

Christ said, “Behold Peter, Satan hath desired to 
have you that he might sift you as wheat.” Peter 
answered Jesus that he was willing to go into prison 
or unto death for him. Jesus said, “Peter, the cock 
shall not crow this day before thou shall thrice deny 
that thou knowest me.” 

The sacrament of the altar is now instituted, the 
same as is used in the Holy Catholic Church of today. 

They now all passed out to the Mount of Olives, 
but Jesus was depressed, for he knew he was to be 
betrayed by Judas Iscariot. The disciples all knew it 
was Judas, for John asked Jesus who it was that would 
betray him. Jesus said, “It is he to whom I will hand 
bread dipped,” as he dipped the bread in the wine and 
handed it to Judas. Judas ate the bread at once, to 
go and further his treason against his God and 
Saviour. 

Jesus said, “Now, as the Son of Man is glorified, 
I will be with you only a little while.” Peter asked 













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CHRIST IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE 


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207 


where he was going. Jesus said, * ‘ Where I go, thou 
canst not follow now. Before I go I will give you a 
new commandment: Love one another.’ ’ “I will go 
and prepare a place for you in my Father’s house. 
You will have another paraclete who will teach you 
all things and will abide with you forever. I am the 
way, the truth, and the light.” He lifted his eyes 
heavenward, saying, “Father the hour is come, glorify 
thy Son. I pray for my apostles — sanctify them. I 
pray for those who through these apostles’ words shall 
believe in me.” 

From here they went to the Garden of Gethsemane. 
As they entered, Jesus left his disciples and went to 
a large olive tree to pray. As he left he called Peter, 
James and John to him and told them his soul was 
oppressed with grief, and said to them, “Pray that ye 
enter not into temptation.” 

He left them and under a large olive tree, which 
stands until this day, he knelt to pray, saying, “Father, 
if thou be willing, remove this cup from me ; neverthe- 
less not my will but thy will be done. ’ ’ An angel came to 
strengthen him by giving him wine in a chalice. After 
this Jesus arose from his knees and went to his dis- 
ciples, who were sleeping. He awoke them and re- 
proached them for sleeping, instead of praying, lest 
they enter into temptation. At this, Jesus said, “Arise 
let us go ; he that shall betray me is at hand. ’ ’ 

Many priests, Judas Iscariot, and the Roman 
soldiers were seeking him with lighted torches. Judas 
was leading them. As Judas approached Jesus, he 
said, “Hail, Rabbi,” and kissed him, for he had told 
the soldiers, “He whom I kiss is he.” Jesus turned 
to the multitude and asked them whom they sought. 
They said, “ Jesus of Nazareth.” He answered, “I 


208 


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am he.” At first many of them were overcome with 
fear. Jesus said, “You have sought me as you would 
a thief. I have been in the Temple each day and ye 
did not touch me.” At this they advanced and 
arrested him. Peter’s anger was aroused to the extent 
that he drew his sword and cut off the ear of Malchus, 
a servant of the high priest. Jesus reproached Peter 
for this by saying if he needed help his Father would 
send him legions of angels. Jesus at once caused the 
ear to be healed. 

The soldiers then bound Jesus and the disciples 
left, excepting Peter and John, who followed at a 
safe distance behind. They took Jesus before the 
high priest Annas, where they all sat about the fire. 
A young woman who was a servant of the high priest 
said to Peter, who had come on behind Jesus, and also 
sat by the fire with them, “He is one of them,” and 
pointed her finger at Peter, “This man was with him.” 
Peter answered, “Woman I know him not.” Another 
that was present said the same, accusing Peter of being 
with Jesus; Peter answered, “Man, I was not.” After 
an hour had passed still another said, “He was with 
Jesus, for he is a Galilean.” As Peter said, “I know 
not what thou sayest,” the cock crew. Jesus looked 
poignantly at Peter, and then Peter remembered the 
words of the Lord, that he would deny him thrice be- 
fore the cock crew. This caused Peter to weep 
bitterly. 

They now mocked Jesus and smote him, and blind- 
folded him, and smote him again, and asked him if he 
had power of heaven to tell them who had smote him. 
When morning had come they led him to the council 
chamber and there they asked him if he was the Son 
6f God. Jesus said, “If I tell you, you will AOt believe; 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


209 


Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand 
of the throne of God.” 

“Art thou the Son of God?” they asked. “Ye say 
that I am,” Jesus answered. “What need we of any 
further witness, for we have heard ourselves of his 
own mouth.” 

Jesus was led from here and taken before Pilate, 
the Roman Procurator. His accusers said, “We found 
this fellow perverting the nation and forbidding 
tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself was Christ, 
the King.” Pilate asked Jesus if he was King of the 
Jews. Jesus answered, “Thou sayest it.” Pilate, 
addressing the multitude said, “I find no fault in this 
man. ’ ’ 

“He stirreth up the people from here to Galilee,” 
they retorted. Pilate asked them if Jesus was a 
Galilean. They answered him in the affirmative, and 
also added that he was under the jurisdiction of Herod, 
the King who was at Jerusalem at that time. He was 
at once led away to J erusalem where he was questioned 
by Herod, who was glad to see Jesus, out of curiosity. 
Jesus refused to answer any of his questions. This 
enraged Herod, the King, and he mocked Jesus and 
arrayed him in red garments and sent him back to 
Pilate. This made Pilate and Herod friends after 
being enemies for years; crediting each other’s judg- 
ment was perhaps the cause of the reconcilation. 

Pilate gathered together all of the chief priests and 
rulers and told them that he could see no fault in this 
man worthy of death. “I will therefore chastise him 
and release him, for we must release one at the feast.” 
The multitude cried out, “Away with this man, release 
unto us Barabbas, who for murder was cast into 
prison.” Pilate’s wife informed Pilate that she had 


210 


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had a dream this day and had suffered much because 
of Jesus, and she said to Pilate, “Have nothing to do 
with this just man, for I have suffered many things 
in a dream because of him.’ ’ 

Pilate was willing, and even anxious to release 
Jesus and appealed to the multitude for this purpose, 
but they were obdurate ; they only answered by saying, 
“ Crucify him, Crucify him.” Pilate was really not a 
bad man at heart. He held no malice toward Jesus. If 
Pilate could have brought his own plans that were no 
doubt in his mind at this hour into execution, Christ’s 
history would have a different termination, for Pilate 
said to these pagan assassins for the third time he 
could see no fault in this man. “What evil hath he 
done?” he asked them. “I will chastise him and set 
him at liberty.” He was chastised by scourging to a 
post, a crown of thorns placed on his placid brow and 
pressed down with such force the blood streamed down 
his face in rivulets from the wounds they made. A 
reed was handed him as a sceptre and during all of this 
time they were still demanding his life, until Pilate had 
to give in to them. He said to them; “Shall I crucify 
your King?” “We have no king but Caesar,” they 
answered unanimously. 

Then delivered he him unto them to be crucified. 
Pilate washed his hands in a bowl of water that was 
brought to him; this was a custom of the Romans 
when they did not want to sully their souls with the 
blood of the innocent. “His blood will be on us and 
our children,” the rabble shouted. They now took off 
the red robe that Herod had put on him and gave him 
bis own garments, and then they led him down the 
Via del Rosa or the Street of Sorrows. 

Simon, a Cyrenean, was made to help Jesus carry 







































































































































CHRIST BEARING THE CROSS 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


211 


the cross, and Pilate wrote a title and put it on the 
cross, and the writing was, “Jesus of Nazareth, the 
King of the Jews.” The chief priests of the Jews said 
to Pilate, “Write not the King of the Jews, but that he 
said, ‘I am King of the Jews.’ ” Pilate answered, 
“What I have written, I have written.” As they led 
Jesus on to be crucified they spat upon him and hailed 
him as “King of the Jews.” 

Jesus fainted under the weight of the cross. His 
face was covered with blood and perspiration. Veron- 
ica, a tender-hearted woman, approached Jesus, and 
thinking she could mitigate his suffering a little, wiped 
the perspiration and blood from his brow and pressed 
a clean linen cloth about his face to absorb the 
perspiration and blood, and when she removed the 
cloth an exact imprint or likeness of Christ was left 
on the linen. Jesus said to her, “My Father will re- 
ward you for this kind act.” After Jesus arose from 
his faint and was helped by Simon to carry his cross, 
they marched on to the mount of death, called Golgo- 
tha, meaning “the place of the skull.” 

Among the many who followed this march of death 
were women lamenting and bewailing Jesus. Jesus 
said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for 
me, but for yourselves and children, for behold the 
days are coming when you will say, ‘blessed are the 
barren and the wombs that never bore, ’ then shall they 
begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the 
hills, ‘Cover us/ for if they do these things in a green 
tree, what shall be done in the dry?” 

There were also two malefactors to be crucified 
with Jesus; they were thieves, and one was to be cruci- 
fied at Christ’s right side and the other at his left. 
After they reached Calvary they nailed Jesus to the 


212 


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cross and tied, with ropes, the thieves to the cross, with 
their arms over the cross-beam. After a while Jesus 
called for water. They placed a sponge saturated 
with vinegar and gall on the end of a reed to his 
mouth. Jesus tasted but did not drink. They parted 
Christ ’s garments and cast lots that it might be fulfilled 
which was spoken by the prophet, “They parted my 
garments among them and upon my vesture did they 
cast lots.” 

The scroll or superscription that Pilate wrote was 
placed on the cross above Christ’s head, which was a 
custom among the J ews when they crucified a criminal. 
The crime imputed to him was nailed in large letters 
above his head on the cross. Over Christ’s, as I have 
said before, was: “This is Jesus of Nazareth, the 
King of the Jews,” and they who passed by while 
Jesus was dying on the cross reviled him and with 
risibility, said, ‘ ‘ Thou, who canst destroy the temple in 
three days and build it up again, save thyself; if thou 
be the Son of God, come down from the cross. He 
saves others, Himself he cannot save. Come down and 
we will believe in Him. He trusted in God; let him 
deliver him now, if he will have him, for he said, ‘ I am 
the Son of God.’ ” Jesus replied by saying, “Father 
forgive them, for they know not what they do. ’ ’ 

From the sixth hour there was darkness over the 
land, and at the ninth hour Jesus cried, “Eloi, Eloi, 
lama, sabachthani,” which is to say, “My God, my God, 
why hast thou forsaken me?” They thought Jesus 
was calling for Elijah, and as one of the soldiers was 
about to place a sponge of vinegar to his nose and 
mouth they said, “No, do not touch him, Elijah will 
perhaps come and take him down from the cross.” 



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THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


213 


One of the thieves at Christ’s side said to Jesus, 
“If thou be the Son of God, save thyself and save us.” 
But the other thief who was being crucified at Christ’s 
side said, “Dost thou not fear God, seeing thou art in 
the same condemnation, and we indeed justly, for we 
receive the due reward of our deeds, but this man hath 
done nothing amiss.” And he also said, turning to 
Jesus, “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy 
kingdom,” and Jesus said unto him, “Verily, I say 
unto thee, this day shalt thou be with me in Paradise.” 

The heavens were dark; the atmosphere was sti- 
fling; men were frightened, women weeping; the old 
were praying ; the young men were crying. Mary, the 
mother of Jesus, with John and Mary Magdalene, 
were near the cross. Jesus, in the last moments of his 
suffering saw his mother and said to her, “Woman, 
behold thy son,” and then addressing John said, 
“John, behold thy mother.” John was from this hour 
on, the son and protector of the widowed mother of 
Jesus. 

At this moment Jesus gave a loud cry and said, 
“Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.” He 
dropped his head to one side, and murmured, “It is 
finished,” and he gave up the ghost. When the cen- 
turion saw this, he said, “He was truly the Son of 
God.” And behold the veil of the temple was rent in 
twain, and the earth quaked; the rocks crumbled, the 
thunder roared, the winds shrieked, darkness pre- 
vailed, men wailed. The graves opened and gave up 
their dead occupants, which were saints that walked 
again. 

It would be well to say a word about the veil of 
the Temple being torn as our Saviour died. That 
moment the old Law died, and the new Law was born. 


214 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


God himself instituted the sanctuary of the temple for 
this veil that was rent was the stone wall that kept the 
Gentiles and the Laity from the altar, or Holy of 
Holies. This was a sign directed from Heaven that 
from Christ’s death on, all Jews, Gentiles, Greeks and 
Romans had, and have, an equal right and chance 
before both God and his altars. The bloody sacrament 
of Moses had passed away forever, and now there was 
substituted a better and purer one, that of the body 
of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. We all know there 
is room for all, and that he loves even the least of us, 
for he said it in the one word, “ whosoever,” and in the 
short sentence, “In my Father’s home there are many 
mansions, if it were not so, I would have told you.” 

It is well to say a word about the suffering that our 
Saviour underwent on the cross, that one can better 
imagine after witnessing the Passion Play at Oberam- 
mergau, Bavaria. 

One could see that the more they tried to belie and 
traduce this holy man on the cross the more they mag- 
nified his glory. The vanquished was the victor; the 
persecuted was the exalted ; and by causing death they 
brought forth life, and by taking man they brought 
forth God, and the more they reviled him the more 
they glorified him. The more he suffered the more 
heavenly he grew. Although in agony, he was tender, 
gentle Jesus to the last. He cursed no one, he loved 
all; he lived nobly and died bravely; he surrendered 
his soul to his Father, his body to his brothers, and 
his teachings to the world forever. This was the 
mortal end of Jesus Christ, our Lord, to whom be 
praise and benediction forever and ever. 


THE HISTORY OP THE BIBLE 


215 


CHAPTER XXX. 

TAKEN PROM THE CROSS. 

The first act of the sublime tragedy has been por 
trayed. The leading character, who has been playing 
the title role, has been slain. Still the drama must go 
on! The curtain rises — never to fall until the con- 
summation of the world, and in this second act, that is 
called the Christian Era, even the least of us can play 
the leading part, for all are on an equal basis now. 
Christ said that we could do as great, and even greater 
things, if we play life’s drama with a heart like his; 
and when the theatre of the world is at an end, as 
Thespians of his decalogue on earth, the same we will 
be in heaven eternally. 

Christ was crucified on the eve of the Sabbath, that 
the bodies of the criminals would not be open to ex- 
posure during the solemnities of the Passover. The 
legs of the two thieves were broken that they might 
die sooner, but when they approached the body of 
Jesus, his soul was already in the bosom of his Father 
in Heaven, and one of the soldiers ran his spear into 
Christ’s side, and the blood flowed freely from the 
wound. This soldier became a believer at once. 

Joseph of Arimathoea, a member of the Sanhedrim 
who was a believer in Jesus, and who was a man of 
wealth, went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 
It was given him, and he with the help of Nicodemus 
came and took the body down from the cross and em- 
balmed it, and laid it in a tomb that had been hewn out 


216 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


of the solid rock, or monolith. Although this tomb 
belonged to Joseph, he dedicated it to the Saviour for 
all time. 

After Christ’s body was laid in the tomb a large 
stone was rolled before the opening of the tomb, and 
Pilate had soldiers on watch for fear Christ ’s followers 
would remove the body, for they knew the prophecy 
that in three days Jesus our Lord would be resurrect- 
ed from the dead, and would ascend to heaven. There- 
fore, Roman soldiers had been placed to guard the 
tomb. 

The bones of Jesus were not broken, and it had also 
been written that the bones of the Lamb of the Pass- 
over were not to be broken. One can see a fitting 
significance between every act and law of the Old and 
New Testament, as I have said before. 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


217 


CHAPTER XXXI. 

THE RESURRECTION. 

Jesus was but two days in the tomb, and on the 
morning of the third day the guards were overwhelmed 
by an earthquake, and, at the same time, by the 
appearance of an angel who rolled away the stone at 
the entrance of the tomb. Jesus arose from the sepul- 
chre, his face aglow like unto the rays of the midday 
sun. This frightened the guards to such an extent 
that they fled into the city. 

Early in the morning of the third day, Mary Magda- 
lene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, came 
to the tomb to embalm Christ’s body. When they 
arrived, to their surprise, the stone at the door of the 
tomb had been rolled away, and the sepulchre was 
empty. Mary Magdalene immediately ran to inform 
the apostles of what she had seen. The others remained 
and entered the tomb. When they looked down at the 
sepulchre they beheld an angel, and were frightened, 
but the angel said, “Fear not, for Jesus, for whom 
ye seek, is risen, and has gone before you into Galilee, 
where ye will find him.” The angel also told them to 
bear this news to the apostles, and especially to Peter. 

As soon as they had left, Peter and John came to 
the tomb, for they did not believe Mary Magdalene and 
had come to see for themselves. As soon as they entered 
the tomb they were convinced that Jesus had risen; 
the linen that he had been wrapped in was all that 
remained. 


218 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


After Peter and John had gone, Mary Magdalene 
returned to the tomb crying for the loss of her friend 
and Saviour’s body. As she entered the tomb an 
angel greeted her and asked her why she wept, and she 
answered, ‘‘They have taken away the body of my 
Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.” 
She was unaware that she had been speaking with an 
angel, and as she turned and walked out of the tomb 
she met Jesus, but did not recognize him. Thinking 
he was a gardener, she asked him where the body of 
her master was. Jesus said, “Mary,” and recognizing 
him she threw herself at his feet. Jesus told her he was 
to ascend to his Father soon, and that she must hasten 
and tell the apostles. Mary did as she was told, but 
the apostles would not believe her. 

The guards who had fled from the tomb were bribed 
not to tell what they knew, as the chief priests did not 
want this to become public, as it would only prove 
Christ’s divinity. 

In the evening of the same day that Christ had 
arisen from the tomb two of the disciples, who were on 
their way to Emmaus, a small town near Jerusalem, 
met Jesus, but he was unknown to them at this time, 
and they thought he was a stranger. When convers- 
ing, one of the disciples, who was named Cleophas, 
asked why it was he had not heard the news at Jeru- 
salem about Christ, and if he was a stranger in those 
parts, and they at once informed him about that which 
had occurred, and that they believed he was the Mes- 
siah. They also told him that much hope had been 
entertained in him, and that when the truth was about 
to be proven the Jews had crucified him, and that they 
had heard it said that he was resurrected. The unknown 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


219 


man explained some of the prophecies of Moses to 
them, as they continued on to the small town. 

When they reached the little village of Emmaus 
they asked the stranger to remain with them, as it was 
evening. The stranger accepted their hospitality, and 
when they were seated at the table he took bread and 
blessed it and gave it to them. When this was done 
the disciples knew their stranger guest to be the Lord. 
Jesus immediately vanished from their presence. 

The disciples, very much excited, hastened to Jeru- 
salem to tell the other apostles, and when they arrived 
they found Peter in an excited state of mind also, he 
saying he had seen the Lord. They related to Peter, 
and the other apostles, their experience, and as they 
were talking Jesus entered and said to them, “ Peace 
be unto you.” They first thought this to be a spirit, 
but not Jesus, but were soon convinced when Jesus ex- 
hibited the wounds from the nails, inflicted at the 
time he was crucified. 

Jesus spoke unto them, saying, “As my Father has 
sent me, I also send you.” As he breathed the Holy 
Ghost upon them he said, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost; 
whosoever sins ye forgive, they are forgiven them.” 

Thomas, one of the apostles, had not been present 
at this meeting, and would not believe when the others 
told him what had happened. Some days afterwards 
Jesus appeared again, and this time he was seen by 
Thomas, who said, “My Lord and my God.” Jesus 
said, “Because thou hast seen me, Thomas, thou hast 
believed ; blessed art they who hast not seen me, and 
hast believed.” 

As had been commanded by Christ, the apostles 
went into Galilee, and Jesus met them at Lake Genne- 


220 


THE HISTORY OP THE BIBLE 


saret. For the second time their nets were filled with 
fish by a miracle when Jesus was near. 

After the fish had been cooked, and they sat down 
to eat, Jesus said to Peter, “Dost thou love me more 
than these ?” Peter answered, “Yea, Lord.” Peter 
was then appointed chief over all the apostles. Jesus 
said unto him, “Feed my lambs,” repeating it three 
times; then he said, “Feed my sheep.” By feeding 
the lambs was meant the apostles, and the sheep they 
who were faithful to the church. 

After this Jesus appeared several times to his 
apostles and instructed them for their future work. 
Forty days after his resurrection he appeared for the 
last time to them, as they were assembled at J erusalem. 
He commanded them to stay in the city for a few days 
that the Holy Ghost might come upon them, after 
which they were to go forth and bear testimony of 
him, not only in Judea, but to the four corners of the 
earth. 

The promise of the Holy Ghost to come, was ful- 
filled ten days later, when it came in the form of fiery 
tongues upon the apostles. 


THE HISTORY OP THE BIBLE 


221 


CHAPTER XXXII. 

THE ASCENSION. 

Christ led his apostles out to the Mount of Olives, 
and said to them, “All power is given to me in heaven 
and on earth. Go ye into the whole world and preach 
the gospel to all nations, baptizing them in the name of 
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and behold 
I am with ye always, even to the consummation of the 
world.’ ’ 

He lifted up his hands and blessed the apostles, and 
while he was still in the act of blessing them, he slow- 
ly rose from the earth and ascended into heaven. 

Before the apostles left the Mount of Olives, two 
angels came and told them that Christ would return 
again. They adored God for this, as they were filled 
with grief when Christ left them. 

The apostles now returned to Jerusalem and waited 
ten days from the time of the ascension. The Jewish 
Pentecost was being celebrated on this day, and the 
apostles were in the upper chamber, above David’s 
tomb. Suddenly a great wave of air came into the 
chamber, and with it came cloven tongues of fire that 
rested upon the apostles, and they were filled with the 
Holy Ghost. After this they were brave, and unafraid, 
and went forth to preach the Gospel. 

The prophecy of Joel was now fulfilled, “It shall 
come to pass, and I will pour out my spirit on all 
flesh.” 


222 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


Great multitudes had come to Jerusalem, and they 
surrounded the place where the apostles were. They 
could hear the apostles speaking in different, tongues, 
which greatly surprised them, and they were very 
much more astonished when they were told of the 
fiery tongues coming upon them. 

The apostles said to the people, “ Jesus of Nazareth, 
a man of divinity and performer of miracles, who was 
sent by God, and who was crucified by wicked men, 
has ascended to heaven and sits at the right hand of 
God. He has poured out his spirit upon us; he is 
the Saviour and the Lord of Heaven and of earth.’ ’ 
The multitude was impressed, for they could see there 
was something superhuman in their speech, and three 
thousand people were immediately baptized. 

From this time on, day by day, the Church grew, 
until today it has touched every point on the entire 
earth. 


THE HISTORY OP THE BIBLE 


223 


CHAPTER XXXIII. 

THE APOSTLES AFTER THE RESURRECTION. 

Peter’s first act was to heal a lame man who was 
asking alms. “Gold or silver I have not,” Peter told 
him, “but what I have I will give; in the name of 
Jesus Christ, rise and walk.” He at once arose and 
walked, a cured man. Thousands were converted who 
had seen this act of Peter’s. 

Peter and John were summoned before the council 
after this, and were told to cease the practice of heal- 
ing. They would not stop, and were thrown into pris- 
on, but angels unlocked the cell doors, and they went 
again and preached in the temple to the people. This 
enraged the council and they decided to kill Peter and 
John, who had been released from the prison during 
the night, by an angel. However, one of the members 
of the Sanhedrim saved them. His name was Gamaliel, 
and he said, “Men of Israel consider well what you 
are about to do. If this be the work of man it will 
soon fall to nothing, but if it be the work of God you 
can not destroy it.” This advice was not heeded by 
the other members of the council, and the apostles were 
scourged and forbidden to preach, but they continued 
on and paid no attention to the demands of the council. 

The first martyr after the crucifixion was St. Steph- 
en, who was one of the seven deacons of the church, and 
whose duty lay with the temporalities of the church. 
Phillip was another who was equal in power to Steph- 
en; they were to see that food and raiment was 
supplied to the apostles, so that they might keep on 


224 THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 

preaching the Gospel undisturbed. Stephen was ac- 
cused by the people of blaspheming and preaching 
against the Law of Moses, and was led out of the city 
and stoned to death. Saul, or Paul as he was called 
later, was present at this execution, and was one of the 
most bitter enemies of the Church and its followers, in 
all Judea. 

After the death of Stephen, Saul went to the high 
priests and asked them for power and authority to 
go to the synagogues in Damascus and seize every man, 
woman and child found preaching or teaching Christi- 
anity. This authority was gladly given him, and he 
started for Damascus. 

On the way to Damascus a dazzling light surround- 
ed Saul, striking with such fury that he fell from his 
horse to the ground, and a voice was heard, “Saul, 
Saul, why dost thou persecute me?” Saul asked who 
was speaking, as he could see no one, and the voice 
answered, “I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest.” Saul 
was overcome and in a frightened state of mind asked 
what he should do. Jesus bade him arise and go into 
the city, where he would be told what to do. When 
Saul arose from the ground he was completely blind, 
and his companions led him on into Damascus, where 
he stayed for three days at the home of one Judas, 
neither eating nor drinking while there. 

Ananias, a good man who lived in the city of Damas- 
cus, was told by the Lord to go to Saul and heal his 
blindness. This he did, and when Saul was able to 
see again he was baptized, and his name was changed 
to Paul at this time. 

Paul worked with great zeal and energy for Christi- 
anity, becoming one of the most powerful disciples of 
Christ. 


THE HISTORY OP THE BIBLE 


225 


Peter visited the different churches of Judea, and 
at Lydia he cured Eneas, who had been confined to 
his bed for eight years with the palsy; at Joppa he 
brought to life the charitable Tabitha, who made lace, 
that was called Dorcas lace, and sold it to help the 
poor. 

While in Joppa, Peter had a vision, which vision 
also came to a man by the name of Cornelius. While 
they were speaking together, surrounded by many Gen- 
tiles, the Holy Ghost came down upon them and they 
began to speak in many tongues. Cornelius explained 
the vision to Peter, and he knew that it meant that 
thereafter there was to be no distinction between Gen- 
tiles and Jews in the Christian church, and that Christ 
had died for ail mankind. All the Gentiles present 
were baptized, and this was the time that the first 
Gentiles were taken into the church. From that time 
on the apostles baptized both Jew and Gentile. Paul 
especially was the apostle to the Gentiles at Antioch. 
Here the converts were first called Christians, and 
thus the name arose, Christians, or followers of Christ. 

On Peter’s return to Jerusalem, from Joppa, he was 
cast into prison by Herod Agrippa, but the angel again 
gave him his liberty, and he went to the home of Mark, 
where he found them praying to God and asking Him 
to let their leader at liberty, and when Peter walked 
in they were frightened, yet gladdened at heart. 

St. Paul and Barnabas preached at Antioch to both 
the Jews and Gentiles, and from there went to Cyprus, 
an island in the Mediterranean Sea. At Cyprus, while 
Paul was proselyting to Sergius, the Roman pro-con- 
sul, Elymas tried to turn Sergius from the little faith 
he already had in the new teachings, and Paul (with 


226 


THE HISTORY OP THE BIBLE 


the help of the Holy Ghost) struck Elymas blind. This 
convinced Sergius and he was baptized. 

Prom there Paul and Barnabas went to Asia Minor. 
At Pisidia Paul preached to the Jews first, but they 
ignored his precepts and he then talked to the Gentiles. 
The Jews harassed Paul and Barnabas until they left 
Antioch and went to Lystra of Lyeonia. It was there 
that Paul was stoned and dragged from the city and 
left for dead; however, he recovered and went on to 
Derbe. 

From Derbe they went back to Antioch, where they 
met the other apostles, and they decided on the ques- 
tion of whether circumcision should be imposed upon 
the Gentiles when they accepted Christianity. It was 
decided that circumcision was not necessary. Peter 
said, “As God has made no difference between Jew 
and Gentile, giving the Holy Ghost to one as well as 
to the other, there should be no difference within the 
church. ’ ’ 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


227 


CHAPTER XXXIV. 

PAUL’S SECOND JOURNEY. 

When Paul started on his second proselyting jour- 
ney, he passed through Syria, and into Asia Minor, 
preaching as he went. At Troas he had a vision that 
guided him on and into Macedonia. 

Paul sailed for Macedonia accompanied by his con- 
verts, Silas, Luke and Timothy. They arrived at Philip- 
pi, the capital of Macedonia, and there Paul made his 
home with a merchant named Lydia, one of the new 
converts. At this city Paul was imprisoned, and freed 
by divine intervention. 

From Macedonia he went to Thessalonica, and then 
to Berea, and from there to Athens, the capital of 
Greece. He saw at once how the people were given up 
to idolatry, and he was aroused and preached in the 
public market place. He was then taken to the Areop- 
agus, where the philosophers and leading men of the 
city were assembled, and was asked to state analyti- 
cally the nature of his doctrine. From the hill of 
Mars he rose and spoke to the multitude, saying in 
part, “Athenians, in passing through your city I found 
an altar on which was written, ‘ to the unknown God ; ’ 
what you here worship without knowing, I preach.” 
He then went on and gave a long and detailed thesis 
on the nature of God and the religion of the Christian 
Church, and also spoke of the resurrection. Dionysius, 
a member of the Areopagus, was converted at once. 
Paul’s utterance was beautiful and impressive, and 


228 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


thousands were converted at Athens, as well as at 
Corinth, where he went on leaving Athens. 

From Corinth, Paul went to Ephesus, and then 
hack to Antioch again. After remaining there, and 
in Jerusalem, for a short time, Paul started out on liis 
third evangelistic voyage. Ephesus was a Roman pos- 
session at this time, so Paul went back to Ephesus, in 
Asia Minor. This was the place at which St. Luke died 
and was also buried. The great Temple of Diana is 
also located there. St. Paul baptized twelve of his con- 
verts on this trip, who afterwards took up the work 
of evangelizing after Paul had left for other parts. 

On this last visit to Ephesus, Paul was persecuted. 
The silver-smiths, who made their livelihood by selling 
miniature temples of the great temple of Diana, saw 
that because of Paul’s converting the people their busi- 
ness w r as being utterly ruined, and Demetrius, who 
was a leader among them, roused the people against 
Paul, and had it not been for the protection afforded 
by the local police he w r ould have been killed. It was 
probably on this visit that St. Paul wrote his Epistle 
to the Ephesians. 

After this, Paul went to Macedonia again, and also 
to Greece, after which he returned to Asia and preached 
at Troas for the second time. At Troas he brought 
back to life the boy who fell from the window, at one 
of his meetings, and was killed. 

From Troas, Paul w r ent to the islands in the Grecian 
Archipelago — Lesbos, Samos and Miletus. It was from 
the island of Miletus that the poetess Sappho sang her 
unimpugned poetical conceptions. From this island 
Paul sent for his followers, who were at Ephesus, to 
come to him, and after a few weeks spent in their com- 
pany he bade them good-bye forever. The Holy Ghost 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


229 


had informed him that he was to meet with great afflic- 
tion at the hands of men, when he returned to Jerusa- 
lem. As he bade his followers good-bye he told them 
to cling to the cause that he had taught them to uphold 
and worship, and commended them to God, “who will 
be able to give you an inheritance among his saints.’ 7 
Kissing them an affectionate good-bye he left them 
forever. 

Paul returned to the holy city to be persecuted by 
the Jews, who hated him because he had converted so 
many of their race, and they also knew him to be a very 
powerful evangelist. As soon as he returned to the 
holy city the Jews conspired against him, and in or- 
der to save his life the authorities sent him to Felix, 
the Governor of Cesarea. He remained a prisoner at 
this place for two years, after which he appealed to 
the Emperor of Rome to allow him to come to Rome. 

Paul’s voyage to the Italian capital was his last; 
when the vessel on which he was traveling was with- 
in a few miles of the Island of Malta, a severe storm 
came up, wrecking the ship, and Paul’s life was saved 
by a miracle. He then journeyed on to Rome. In 
Rome he was kept in respectable captivity for two 
years, and it was probably during this time that he 
wrote the Epistle to the Romans. 

After Paul left Rome he visited some of the places 
in which he had formerly ministered, and preached 
anew to the converts to confirm them in the faith. He 
then returned to Rome in the year A. D. 67, this being 
his last trip. 

Emperor Nero was now the ruler, and he had suc- 
ceeded in raising a cruel persecution against the Chris- 
tians of Rome, accusing them of causing the great fire 
that destroyed much of the capital city. This fire was 


230 


THE HISTORY OP THE BIBLE 


later thought to have been started by Nero himself, 
that he might make it appear that the Christians had 
done so, and thus have cause to persecute them. St. 
Paul was imprisoned, and in a short time beheaded. 
This ended the earthly career of the greatest of the 
apostles. 

Paul was never married. Although he was not one 
of the twelve apostles that partook of the Holy Sup- 
per with Christ in the upper chamber, he has been uni- 
versally exalted as equal to and even greater than any 
of the initial twelve apostles. 

I have said little, thus far, of the other apostles. 
During the time that St. Paul was working with such 
great zeal and energy, the other apostles had not been 
idle. Every place they could go with impunity, and 
many places without, they went and preached the 
Gospel, well knowing that they were placing their 
lives in jeopardy. Some of them went to India, some 
to Persia, and some far into the interior of the Asiatic 
continent. 

The Epistles of Paul and Peter, and the four Gos- 
pels by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, as also the 
Revelations by St. John, written while he was in exile 
on the Island of Patmos, and also several other short 
books, were gathered together and are called the New 
Testament. 

St. Peter preached for a while at Jerusalem, and 
then went on to Antioch where he founded the Capi- 
tol of the apostolic labors. After many churches had 
been established, he moved to Rome, where he estab- 
lished the Holy See that remains today. The popes of 
Rome are his legitimate successors. At the time Paul 
was beheaded, Peter was crucified with his head down. 
All the apostles were martyred for the cause they so 


THE HISTORY OP THE BIBLE 


231 


devoutly upheld, excepting St. John, who took care of 
the blessed Virgin, mother of our Lord, until her death. 

Shortly after the death of the Virgin Mary, John 
was cast into a large kettle of boiling oil, but was saved 
from a painful death by a miracle, and was afterwards 
banished to the Island of Patmos in the Mediterranean 
Sea. It was while there that he wrote the prophetic 
Revelations and sent them to the seven churches of 
Asia. 


232 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


CHAPTER XXXY. 

THE APOCALYPSE. 

The revelations of Jesus Christ, which God gave 
unto him, to show unto his servant things which must 
shortly come to pass, and he sent and signified it by 
his angels unto his servant John. 

“Blessed is he that readeth and they that hear the 
words of this prophecy, and keep these things that are 
written herein, for the time is at hand.” 

John was commanded by the Lord to send this book 
of Revelations to the seven churches of Asia, which he 
did. Each one of the churches was to represent the 
seven spirits before God’s throne, which vrere in turn 
represented by the seven golden branched candelabra 
in the old Law. 

This prophecy was sent by Him who loved us, 
and who washed away our sins with His own blood. 
“Behold he cometh with clouds and every eye shall 
see him, and they also which pierced him, and all kin- 
dreds of the earth shall wail because of him. ’ ’ 

“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the 
end,” saith the Lord, “which is, and was, and is to 
come. ’ ’ 

“What thou seest write and send to the seven 
churches which are in Asia, unto Ephesus, Smyrna, 
Pergamos, Tliyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and unto 
Layodicea. I, Jesus, have sent mine angels to testify 
unto j"ou these things in the churches.” 

“I am the root and the offspring of David, and the 
bright and morning star.” 


THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE 


233 


‘‘And the Spirit and the bride say come, and let 
him that heareth say come, and let him that is athirst 
come, and whosoever will, let him take the waters of 
life; for 1 testify unto every man that heareth the 
words of the prophecy of this book.” 

“If any man shall add unto these things, God shall 
add unto him the plagues that are written in this book, 
and if any man shall take away from the words of this 
book, God shall take away his part out of the book of 
Life, and out of the Holy City, and from the things 
that are written in this book. ” 

John died in the year of our Lord 100, the only one, 
as I have said before of the twelve apostles, to die a 
natural death. His one great sermon that he almost 
continually preached was, “Children, love one anoth- 
er.” 

At the time John died the church was on a secure 
foundation, even at that early date. Since then human 
passions have raged against it, violence and massacre 
have been enacted, heresy and blasphemy have rooted 
themselves beneath its foundations, false creeds have 
been grafted from its corner-stone; and councils were 
called at Trent, and Nicea. 

It was at Nicea that the Nicean creed was formu- 
lated at the time of Constantine, who was the first 
Christian Emperor of Rome. Constantine’s banner 
was the cross, which he had seen in the heavens, and 
beneath the cross were the words, “By this, conquer.” 

Even at that time the church was divided against 
itself, one party having statues beneath its roof, and 
the other being opposed to them. The iconoclasts and 
iconodules fought in vain. The Arian creed was con- 
demned at Nicea by the council of the church. The 
church is still divided; the orthodox Greek ignore the 


234 


THE HISTORY OP THE BIBLE 


pope of Rome. But with all, the church of Rome has 
pulled through and is today the cement that binds and 
holds the social world together. Though once in the 
abstract, today the church is in the concrete, bound 
by the blood of Jesus Christ and his saints. 

If we keep the commandments of our Lord, and help 
maintain and perpetuate the Gospel, the Tree of Life 
will grow still stronger, for it is yet in its infancy, 
and if we do this we can pass from the earth to the 
Kingdom of God, and mingle with his angels and 
saints, where, in glory and happiness, we will reap the 
fruit of our righteousness. 

Blessed are they who keep his commandments, that 
they may have right to the Tree of Life, and may enter 
into the New Jerusalem, where by their own testimony 
they will surely come. The grace of our "Lord Jesus 
Christ be with you all. Amen. 



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